Thinking out loud: It's the day of and the day after... this

Sunday night I awoke around 3am with the left side of my face wet and one eye closed up.  This is how it looked Monday morning, after cleaning up.  

One side of my head feels like it's in a vise, a pretty hard return to my earlier days of long covid.  I can't help but wonder if this will ever end.  I was pretty bummed, it was a beautiful day and I was hoping to go into downtown Pittsburgh, to claim my long-awaited Senior Card for Pat Transit.  

People 65 and over get to ride public transportation--buses, the subway, the Incline all for free.  But you have to apply for your special ID card in person at the Port Authority downtown.

I'm so frustrated, so damn angry at how long this condition has gone on, I keep reminding myself things could be worse but when you're in daily discomfort it can be hard to do.

Over my birthday, an old friend reached out to me just to say hello.  It was wonderful hearing from Brenda again, the last we spoke was 10 years ago and before that, nearly 30 years.  In the 1980s, we were part of a group of twentysomethings that hung out together on a regular basis. 

In March 2024, shortly after I got long covid, Brenda's husband Mike, also part of our 80s group, died from cancer.  They were together 40 years.  Anyway, Brenda is seeing someone new now--actually, her first high school boyfriend--who's wife contracted covid the same time I did, but didn't make it.  I'm happy for Brenda, but what a damn curse this covid has been for so many.  At least I'm still here.  Still...

Can I share something silly?  It's dorky but honest-to-God true.  Yesterday afternoon I was in my kitchen making dinner, and had Youtube on the TV in my living room.  Some guy named Philip Mershon (who has a retro channel) was talking about terrariums, and when I heard him say "Here's some other 70's decor people used to cozy up their homes"  I hurried in to see what he was talking about, and saw this.

Look familiar?  I did not get the idea to buy my macrame owl from Philip--I got my owl last week, 4 days before he posted this video.  I just thought this was a weird coincidence.

I'm probably going to start seeing owls everywhere now.  As a matter of fact my blogger friend Margaret just posted a photo of one.  (Her neighbor set out a clay owl to ward off crows in his backyard. )

Well, I should wrap this up and get my day started.  My head isn't any better, but my eye is, at least.  Maybe it wasn’t even LC related.  I'm sorry for the dull read, I just felt the need to share.  I'm already working on my next post, which I hope is more interesting, so please don't give up on me just yet.  

And speaking of not giving up...

                                              Come on Blue Wave

It's a Boo-thday alright... meanwhile, some wise eyes in the room

This is a birthday card my dear friend Pen made me.  (She's a real whiz at her Cricut machine.)  "Boo-thday" does seem appropriate this year, and not just because my day falls on Halloween.

1. The mid-term election forecasts are making me pretty antsy.
2. I've been dealing with a pretty serious long covid relapse for a couple weeks now, and it's wiping me out.

I wake up every morning around 5:30am with a lot of inflammation in my cheeks and jaw.  I use the bathroom, then head to the kitchen and hold ice packs over my eyes while I gargle with warm salt water for 15 minutes.  When things calm down, I pop a Lemon Mint Ricolla Lozenge in my mouth, go back to bed and watch Youtube videos on my tablet until I doze off again.

I wake up an hour or so later with an aching face and a jaw that is very sore, stiff as a board.  Things don't ease up until mid-afternoon or so.  Around 5-6pm, oral inflammation sets in.  Ugh--I really am sorry for sharing all this, no one wants to read it.  I'm just burnt out.

This January will mark my third year anniversary of dealing with long covid.  All I can do is try and manage the symptoms one day at a time, and when I get 1-2 days of calm, rejoin society (like a couple weeks ago, when I was able to meet up with friends from the Senior Center at Chili's).   

Other than that, I'm just hoping I see some long-term recovery in 2027.

As long as I'm here... have you ever bought something and wound up doing something different with it then originally intended?  A couple weeks ago I was on an arts & crafts site looking at the different things for sale, and saw this macrame owl crafted by a young woman in Bali.

It immediately reminded me of the 1970s, when macrame seemed to be everywhere.  Hanging planters, ladies fashion... I bought her last macrame owl, intending to hang it beside a piece of artwork above my couch.

When it arrived yesterday (even nicer than I expected), I hung it on a magnetic hook on my (metal) front closet door while I ran to get a hammer.  But when I came back and saw it perched there...

I think this owl had found it's home.  It sure is a nifty looking thing, isn't it?  The eyes and nose are hardwood nuggets.  I love it.

On that note...I don't have much else to say.  I just wanted to get something new blogged.  I'm not very fond of my last post with all those former birthday photos, it felt a little too self indulgent.  Plus it makes me pine for healthier, happier times.

But I did enjoy all the very kind feedback, thank you again.

I hope everyone has a great Halloween, and (sorry my conservative friends) I hope we get that Blue Wave and a Democratic House & Senate again, and a cure for long covid while we're at it.

Thanks again for the lovely cards Kim, Robin, Pen, Bobi & sister Shawn.  Bobi, I loved that wood bookmark, thank you.  And Shawn, thank you for the scratch off tickets.  🧡🧡

And thanks to everyone as always, for being here.

My Halloween birthdays thru the years

I always enjoyed having my birthday on Halloween.  My dad drew funny cards, and Mom made sure I had a Halloween-themed birthday cake.  Our family didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, so we knew better than to pester our parents for all the stuff we saw on tv.  But they went out of their way to make our birthdays special.

I know I've been sharing a lot of selfies lately, but since I'm turning 65 this year I thought I'd look back at some of the birthdays and cakes I've enjoyed over the years.  

So if you're not too tired of seeing my face just yet...

October 31, 1966 - my 5th birthday.

October 31, 1967 - wearing my gift (a Batman costume complete with Bat-boots and utility belt) guarding my 6th birthday cake.  I wore a devil costume to go trick-or-treating though, I was a huge Bat-fan and was afraid someone would steal this batsuit right off me!  

October 31, 1968 - 7th birthday, and that's Patootie, a boy clown doll.  After this photo was taken he only wore his red long johns.  I admit it, I loved this clown.  My younger brother Steve adopted him after I outgrew him.

October 31, 1969 - 8 years old, missing a couple front teeth but look at that cool bike.

October 31, 1971 - 10 years old, excited to get an easel so I could do my artwork like Dad.

October 31, 1973 - 12 years old and Grandma Morris stopped by on her way to work to wish me a Happy Birthday.  That silver bracelet I'm wearing was a POW-MIA bracelet, remember those?

October 31, 1975 - 14 years old and in my Sears Husky Jeans phase, with my handsome Dad.  I can't remember why, but I asked Mom to bake me a German chocolate cake that year.

October 31, 1977 - 16th birthday with my sisters Donda-Lin and Courtney.  Ignore my bowlegged pose, I was being a goof.  

October 31, 1978 - 17 years old and in my suit for Senior Picture Day.

October 31, 1980 - 19th birthday and some pretty wild hair.

October 31, 1981 -  20th birthday and not living at home anymore, this would be my last Halloween cake from Mom for a long time.

October 31, 1991 - My 30th birthday.  My mom & sisters Shawn, Donda-Lin & Courtney drove up to Pittsburgh to take me out to dinner.  Mom baked me a chocolate bundt cake.  She also brought those woven placemats and kitchen curtains for my new apt.

October 31, 1996 - 35th birthday, at my parents place back home.  A surprise cake and surprise visitor, my beloved Grandma.  

And finally, October 31, 2009 - my 48th birthday.  A Star Trek cake from my sister Shawn, and a Halloween one from my niece Sophia.  No selfies here, but at least you can see the cakes!