TheCapeBlog

Found an NP/MD who are taking new patients – in Williamstown! Appointment at 12:30 on March 2.

Booked another appointment, this one with the electrician for this Thursday.

Finally got a responsive customer service person at the electric company. Hope they can square away my online account.

Called in to A1.

Unloaded 3 boxes of LPs in the cube Ron put together the other day. Spilled a nasty Calcium Chloride-based desiccator in the process, cleaned it up with the Little Green.

Spoke with a vet at Mount Anthony about Lizzie. She ordered a steroidal med that we picked up for her at Stop & Shop: convenience! Can continue Gabapentin at a higher dose.

Received proposal from Ryan. Same $$ as in November.

Used the self-cleaning oven setting. Billows of choking fumes. Ron plugged in the range hood with an extension cord. I opened the double-hung and casement kitchen windows and for a while, the garage, sunroom and deck doors as well. Set up the Japanese screens to block the smoke alarm.

Lizzie slept through it all.

When the oven completely cooled, Ron and I worked on cleanup. The misery of the fumes was almost worth it: the oven looks practically new.

Around 3 we managed a trip in the rain to the transfer station to dispose of cardboard and recyclables, then got cards at our library and finally did a grocery and med pickup at Stop & Shop.

Rough start with Lizzie this morning around 4 am, she’d gotten herself stuck and was crying.

After a long rest, she did go out in the yard but isn’t interested in food.

I’ve got a pile of boxes ready for the transfer station but have no ambition to break them down. Ron and I did it anyway and loaded up the truck for a transfer station run tomorrow. Found more canned goods and shop stuff to put away.

Swept the deck. It’s still pretty wet and we are due for more rain this week.

Made a quick run to Dollar General for snacks.

We heated up the oven for pizza. The thermostat seems to be off, the oven stopped at a little under 350. It started smoking; the fire alarm works. Had to finish the pizza on broil.

I did a transfer station run yesterday.

Later, Ron and I did a huge grocery shop, including fruit and vegetable trays and mushroom bites for our New Year’s Eve meal. Finished the prosecco.

I woke up at 1:50 am. Lizzie was awake, too. I gave her a gabapentin, chow and water. Caught a couple hours of sleep until 5:41. Lizzie was banging around, still in pain but finally dosed off. Made eggs for Ron and me.

Tried to watch the Patriots on TV; no luck, we wuz shut out. After much time wasted with thrashing and research, signed up for Sling, then canceled it.

Sorted through a few more papers, finished vacuuming the “mud room”, raked more leaves off the deck and the front walk, moved the big extension ladder and propped it on the fence, removed the decals from the outer doors.

Meanwhile, Ron put together one of the LP cubes.

We enjoyed champagne and finished the cut fruit.

The vet thinks that Lizzie is suffering from granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis (GME), a disease that is similar to multiple sclerosis in humans. It is incurable.

The doctor gave her a shot of an anti-inflammatory which he hopes will give her some relief. If it doesn’t work, he believes that would prove that her disease is so advanced that her symptoms can’t be treated.

She had a rough ride home, slid on the floor and cried in a heartbreaking way. I pulled over and propped her back on the seat, and that seemed to be more comfortable for her.

Meanwhile, it was “wheels up” for me. I have bone-on-bone myself, not nearly as bad as hers to be sure, but enough to put off shopping or going to the transfer station today.

Ryan was by this morning to take another look at windows and spotted one that doesn’t need to be replaced.

Ron was up until 2.

Finally made it there with Ron, two trips. Recycled cans, cardboard and paper, got refuse stickers, disposed of a bag of trash.

Stopped at Spirits, Ron selected two bottles of bubbly for New Year’s.

Organized another transfer station load for tomorrow. Whether early or late morning depends on how things go with the vet visit.

Ron had been talking about “the Mish” and how he missed Mexican food, so we ordered take-out from one of the local restaurants.

Rather than listening to me or his own eyes, Ron decided to take a different route to the restaurant and ended up getting lost. The enchiladas verdes were edible but I’m not a fan so it didn’t matter.

Meanwhile, one of us had the clever idea to put the huge box of Ron’s older LPs in the coal closet. Good excuse to vacuum the closet and “mud room”.

Ron got an offer from his credit union for a car loan.

Unfortunately, it’s about $3,800 less than what he needs to pay off his contract. That’s because he opted for all kinds of extras, and the total he requested is more than the car is worth.

He has some money from his settlement with GEICO. I offered to give him the difference. Give. Not lend.

What was his answer?

A nonchalant “Okay.” Not “thank you” or “that’s very generous” or “I really appreciate it; thanks.”

“Okay” in a world-weary voice.

I took back the offer. Pearls before frigging swine.

I just perused through piles of junk in the room we are calling The Office, hoping to find Ron’s checkbooks.

I’m appalled at the volume of odds and ends, every piece of which represents money wasted.

I did find some of Ron’s checkbooks, in plain view in the Guest Room, along with some of my files, and emptied two more oversized cardboard boxes.

Packed linens into the wardrobe; not organized but at least out of the way for now.

Gorgeous sunrise this morning: pink and blue. Warm spell coming up.

John the plumber from Mr. Rooter just went over options for a new hot water tank; we decided on a 50 gallon, price for removal and installation is fair, and I hope they can install it next week.

Meanwhile, received a 100 gallon oil delivery; last was 24 days ago. Heat is costing about $22/day. Yikes.

Found the last extension phone.

Email correspondence with Cape Cod Five about closing. Returned a call yesterday from Lemonade, left message.

We managed to drag the king mattress and headboard downstairs and put them by the driveway, just in time for the disposal company to pick them up.

The MDF is gone, too.

Three visits: Pete the electrician, the disposal company people and then a surprise, Sean the plow guy.

Nice to see so many men with blue eyes!

Ron, much to his credit, put together our bed frame – by himself – last evening.

We were able to set the mattress back on with relatively little difficulty.

I took apart some of the old king bed headboard.

That worked okay but my attempt to put the desk chair next to my computer failed. The chair fell apart and we ended up with grease spots on the carpet. Remarkably, “Shout” laundry stain remover got most of them out.

It’s become time for year-end evaluations by the media. Dave Barry’s humorous one was quite good, I thought. The wrap-up in “Time” is optimistic: “We learned there’s power in protest” according to the voiceover.

We still haven’t opened our gifts, but no way we’d trade them so doesn’t matter.

There is still so much to do to get the house organized. The worst are the bags of tiny things: pill bottles, miscellaneous pieces of this or that, hardware.

I’m hoping to charm up the pantry with a bunch of just unpacked baskets.

Replaced the broken glass in front of the photo of Ron’s grandparents.

Trying to fit a drawer into Ron’s dresser. Think an attempted repair job may have made it a tad too wide.

Tech on Spectrum Chat sent a reboot that cleared whatever wasn’t letting me set up voicemail. Points also to the last customer service person for getting rid of the damnable TV service.

I unpacked the collection dolls today. Need to move the LP boxes so I can arrange them.

Last year’s Fall silk flower arrangement looks nice in Alice’s tole.

Mountain in view from this window does have a slight purple hue.