Life Lately November 2020

It's hard to believe that it's will be December tomorrow! It is my favorite month and I'm usually very excited, but 2020 has made so many things feel strange and the approaching holidays are no exception.

My last post – aside from the one I wrote urging people to vote – was way back on October 12 and it seems like so much has happened in those seven weeks. Here's a quick summary:

One weekend, we took a day trip to Shenandoah with Ginny, and then the following weekend, we spent a morning in D.C. This might not seem exciting because we live so close by, but in all our years of living here, we'd never been to the Lincoln Memorial. There was really no reason for that, other than that even before the pandemic, we had an aversion to crowds and obviously it's a major tourist attraction. I'm so glad we finally went over there because I was awed by its grandeur! Both excursions involved VERY long walks for Ginny and she was really tired afterwards (this will come into play later in this post), but still a fun couple of adventures.

We had no trick-or-treaters on Halloween, but that is par for the course, given the location of our house and the lack of children in our neighborhood. I still made Ginny wear a costume so I could take pictures of her. She is most decidedly not a fan of clothing or costumes, but a little bribery with treats goes a long way!

not from Halloween,
but one of the few times
I've gotten clothing on her

she's over it

On Election Day, schools were closed because many are polling places, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather and we took Ginny back to Shenandoah NP for the day. It was nice to be mostly disconnected for the day and have the opportunity to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. Since it was a weekday in November, the park was fairly deserted and it was so good for my emotional well-being to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

fallen logs are a
challenge for her little legs

I don't consider myself an anxious person, but two big changes took place in my life shortly after Election Day. I was worried about both and the impact those changes would have. The first is that my mom moved out temporarily. I'm going to be very upfront about this. I am angry about it. Very angry. 

She did not move because she wanted to.

She did not move because C and I wanted her to.

She moved so she could be safe and stay healthy. Which meant moving away from me.

This is the direct result of the second of the two changes, and that is the return of students to the school building. The increased exposure to people meant an increased risk that I might inadvertently bring something home that would make my mom sick. She is already medically fragile and we simply could not afford to take any chances given that she has a terminal lung disease.

I love my mom so much and I would not be able to live with myself if I endangered her health. So we made the awful, dreadful, horrifying, heartbreaking decision for her to move to a condo near my brother, where he and my SIL can check on her daily and help her with anything she needs. I am eternally grateful to them for taking on that responsibility and as a bonus, my mom will get to spend much more time with my niece and nephew.

That being said, I'm still mad at the situation because she was here with me and I could see her and hug her and hold her hand whenever I wanted. Thank goodness for phone calls, texts, and FaceTime that allow us to stay connected. Ginny's not happy about the situation, either; she searches for my mom around the house. I'm hoping there's a vaccine soon so we can get things back to how they were.

One less-than-awesome thing that came of that move was that I injured my back when I was moving her oxygen tanks and putting them in the backseat of her car. I think it was just the lifting and twisting in awkward ways that did it, but oh my word, I have never had such a debilitating injury. It happened on November 8 and now it's November 30. In that time, I have slept slitting up in an armchair in our family room every night but one. I foolishly thought it was getting better after about four days and I decided to sleep in bed. Big mistake. Huge! It took me 35 minutes of agony to get inch my way out of bed the next morning. Although it's not yet 100%, it is definitely much better. I couldn't put my own socks on, so C put my socks on my feet every day. I couldn't tie any shoelaces, so I only wore shoes I could slip my feet into. This has gone on for weeks. Well, today, I wore a pair of Chucks because I was actually able to tie them myself! I will celebrate this small victory because it has been a very challenging time.

a small sample of the
equipment my mom needs

Thanksgiving was quiet – just C, Ginny, and me. We had a family zoom call, which was wonderful, and the day after Thanksgiving, we drove to my brother's house to drop off some things for my mom and we were able to visit for a few minutes in their driveway while maintaining a very safe distance from everyone. I hated not being able to hug all of them, but seeing my mom in person did wonders for my spirit.

Ginny faced the oven while
Thanksgiving dinner cooked

Earlier I mentioned Ginny and long walks. We've noticed that at 12+ years old, those long walks take a lot out of her. I looked for a carrier, and came across a dog tote bag that was on sale. If you know me, I like to monogram just about everything, but I didn't even have her name put on it because I figured we could donate it if she ended up refusing to get in it. When the bag arrived, it was clear she was skeptical. However, we went for a long walk a few days ago, and we carried her for about half of it. We placed a fleece blanket in the bottom of the tote, and lo and behold, she settled right in! I think she especially enjoyed the elevated view!

test drive
no blanket in the bottom yet,
and you can see it is pretty deep

our first walk with the bag;
she's propped up on a blanket and
seems to love it - look at her little paws!

In light of recent events, I've been feeling a little grinchy about the holidays, and I'd decided that I wasn't going to put up any decorations. Well, that changed when one of my teacher friends shared an ad with me for a rainbow tree. I found one I loved and now it's in our family room with simple white lights and a white tree skirt and it's perfect. Another example of finding joy wherever you can.

In between all of this, there's been the day-to-day entertainment provided by Ginny. On even the most boring and dreary of days, her presence is everything.

Ginny "made a friend"
when we were stopped
at a red light

she pushed her bowl across
the floor as she ate
and it almost ended up
under the ottoman

she didn't believe the bag was empty
and when we showed her,
she stuck her head in it

Throughout all of this, C has been amazing. I mean, he always has been, but I have leaned on him so much over the past month and he has done everything for me. I'm so so so so grateful to be sharing this life with him.

summer 1990
and
summer 2020

Here's to a new month…and to finding small moments of happiness amid challenging times and uncertainty.

Happy Tails to you!