Catching up

It has been an action-packed week here. DH has been on night shift, which adds a whole 'nother layer of intensity on my part. He usually takes the dog for that last nightly walk. He usually sits down in front of the TV, which pretty much settles the house down for the night. I usually cook a nice dinner when he is home, which sets the tone of "settled" around here.

When he is on night shift, LO and I run out for sushi, play cards, and do all the things you do when things are relaxed. We prefer that settled feeling, and are both relieved when night shift is over. Unfortunately it comes around every other week or so!

I have been working 20 hours a week in addition to the writing thing, and trying to keep up with all the meetings I am unfortunately in. I declined so many positions this summer, anticipating this Leadership program: how on earth did I wind up overcommitted again?

Our Band Booster club met this week (I am secretary). We meet at a decent restaurant and the other Band Rats sit at their own table and order dinner like grownups. LO sat with 2 of her gf's while we sat at the big table and met. It works out beautifully.

The week is a blur of other activity. Taking LO places, calling moms to carpool, getting her homework done, keeping up the house, interviewing people, working on our presentation for Leadership program.

Wednesday we had quite a bit of organizing to do. Her all-county band tryouts were on Thursday and I had Leadership all day. I had to load our team's presentation on the laptop and pack the backpack with laptop and speakers. We were on the road with our group all day and I had to lug the laptop around all day!! The presentations were a competition and I am so proud our team WON! We worked so hard on it. I personally had 17 hours of work in preparing the slide show -- with sound effects for each slide.

Left Leadership and zoomed to the middle school to pick up LO. She was a bit despondent, felt her sight-reading audition had not gone well. "Nana, the lines were HERE and the note was an inch above!" I asked how she had handled it and she replied that she had told the judge, "I don't know this note." The judge told her what note it was. LO found it on her flute and continued to play. I tried to comfort her. I honestly feel she did the totally right thing! She felt she had not made it into the All-County Band.

Yesterday I worked again, drove to nearby town to a business I do PR for, zoomed back to town to run errands, went to doctor, and picked up LO. She had good news! She had made it into All-County!! 31 flautists from 8 schools tried out. 12 made it. She is chair #6. We are proud.

Last night she went to a birthday party -- for a boy. DH and I are beginning to adapt to her goings-about. Last Friday she went with a gf to the high school football game. All her friends were there and they stayed in a group all evening.

While she was out, DH went to his violin lesson and I went to the opening reception for winter season at the museum. He met me there and we headed to a local wine place where a friend was playing jazz for the evening. Had to scoot at 8:45 to pick up LO and back home again.

About the doctor: I went to the doctor yesterday, nurse pract. actually, for a spot that is 1/4" x 1/4". Total hypochondriac!! On Sunday, 04.Nov, I woke up with a red and stinging earlobe. I did not realize it but pulled on it and scratched it most of the morning until LO said it was beet red. Then I realized it had been burning and itching. That afternoon and the next 3 days it was swollen, red, and weeping clear liquid. I assumed a spider had bitten me - please realize we do not see insects in this house! But it seemed to be a spider bite.

Over the next week and half, I've been applying hydrocortisone cream to it. We didn't have any Rx hydrocortisone, so I was just using 1%. It did not really help with the burning and itching, but did seem to help a little with the swelling.

Late last week, the site got scaly and tough. Probably from the cream? It never did seem to start improving, and this week it began to develop these weird blisters. Thursday night it hurt so badly it woke me up!!! Yesterday I decided that after almost 2 weeks, it should be GONE so I called the doctor. The nurse saw me and said it likely is a spider bite, but definitely is not a brown recluse bite. I am on 2 prescriptions, both internal, nothing topical, and I return to see her Monday. All for a 1/4"x1/4" spot!