Weekly Update- 14 June

Nothing really feels like summer. 

It's hard to get into the spirit of summer when so many things are still shut down for this pandemic. The most asinine thing that's closed is swimming pools. If you believe the virus is what they say it is, then swimming pools are the safest place to be. And yet, they are closed.  I'll not waste time airing my grievances about the fallacy of COVID-19. That would take pages and pages to write, and I'm not focusing on that.  I'm focusing on what we've done this week to make it feel like summer vacation. A few days ago, several neighbor kids congregated at our place for water play in the backyard.  They had a blast, but I kicked myself for buying so many water balloons!  I've been picking them up for days. On this particular day, Hailey and Lauren were on an all-day hike with some friends from church. I'll get to that in a bit.  On Saturday night, neighbors again congregated for a last-minute movie in our backyard (Encino Man, which always elicits some major teenage hormones in me), but no one actually watched it.  Way too much rowdiness from kids and grown-ups gabbing.  I didn't take a single picture.

A few of the kiddos who found their way to our house. 

I had three massive asthma attacks in May. My lung function has been very poor lately, regardless of anything I do or don't do. A myth about asthma is that you can exercise it away by strengthening your lungs.  If it worked like that, I'd have lung function above 100% every day of my life.  Unfortunately, it's just something my immune system likes to mess with, and I have no control over it.   

I had an appointment with my asthma doctor this week.  Before going in, he decided that my lungs needed some relief, so he called in a round of steroids to open things up.  I couldn't get my immunotherpay while my lung function was so poor, so the Prednisone made it possible to stay current on my shots.  I wish I could be on Prednisone always, because the difference it makes is night and day. Sadly, it's not a drug I can be on more than twice a year, nor do I want to stay on it long-term. But the break it gives me sure is nice.  At my asthma appointment on Monday, after being on Prednisone for five days prior, my lung function was in the 90%. It was incredible.  

As a result, I've taken advantage of the temporary relief this week and done some really nice three-mile runs.  No wheezing, no fatigue; just a lot of power and sweat. Whenever I get to go on Prednisone, it makes my lungs normal. As I run, it amazes me that THAT is what normal people feel like. I wish it could last.  Dr. B also changed my controller med to one that he thinks will be more effective. I started it this week, and it will take a few weeks of regular use to see if it helps me or not. I'm crossing my fingers!

During the shutdown, I started cutting the boys' hair.  I know, I know. This makes my stylist friends cringe.  I've NEVER claimed to be good at cutting hair. Not even slightly good. In fact, I'm really bad. But during the shutdown, there were no options. And considering how fast my boys' hair grows, I had to get comfortable with it.  And now, even though places are opening back up, the wait-list is always long.  Salons have greatly modified how many people can be in there at once and all that jazz. Furthermore, I won't patronize businesses that are contributing to the idiocy of this man-made hysteria. So still, I'm cutting their hair. Just me and my clippers and a comb and spray bottle. I'm not good, but I'm not terrible anymore (don't judge by this picture...this was taken right after I started buzzing and Devin wanted to see his back).  One day I will take them back to a professional, but in the meantime, it sure does save a lot of money. And like I said, their hair grows fast, so it's pretty forgiving. And it's summer.  Who cares. 

The girls are supposed to be at church camp this week.  And like everything else, it was cancelled because of COVID-19.  Enos, our good friend and bishop, had already taken the time off work to go camping with the girls. He invited Hailey and Lauren along for a big hike down in Spanish Fork canyon on Friday.  We'd never been to that particular place, but he showed us pictures and it looked incredible. I'm not sure how I've lived in this state for nineteen years and never known about Fifth Water Hot Springs. Thursday night, my adrenaline started pounding about 1:00 in the morning, just as I got in bed.  And thus, I had a completely sleepless night.  Nausea, profuse sweating, etc. Somewhere in my broken mind, I started having visions of accidents.  It happens like that about once a month in my PTSD brain, and that was the night.  I sent the girls off at 7:00 Friday morning with a prayer in my heart.  I trust Enos more than I trust almost anyone, but my mind wouldn't settle.  It was a rough day.

The girls came home that evening, sunburned and exhausted.  They had a great time and had many stories to tell, but Lauren wasn't feeling well.  Come to find out, she'd had a run in with a huge rock that smashed her bad hand (she has a hand anomaly called macrodactyly for which she's had three major operations in her life). In her last surgery in November 2018, she had an entire joint removed and a steel screw driven right into the bone.  It's never NOT hurt, and it doesn't take much to cause more pain. And of course, it was that exact hand and that exact finger that was the victim of the falling rock.  Enos happened to be filming with his Go Pro and caught it on camera.  You can see in the video the exact moment when she got hurt.  Knowing how fragile that hand is, it made my stomach turn watching it.  Ever since, Lauren says it feels exactly like it did the day after surgery.  I'll be calling the surgeon's office tomorrow to schedule an appointment to get it examined and make sure there's no damage.

But all together, the girls had a fantastic time and LOVED exploring the numerous hot springs.  We are already planning a family hiking trip down that way to check it out ourselves. 

Devin has learned to cook eggs, and our house continually smells like a big fart.  He cooks eggs no less than four times a day. I'm just glad the boy is eating, but if he'd ever learn to clean up after himself!!

Ethan started taking care of our neighbor's lawn about a year ago. It works out well because it supplies him a little spending money, and he gets good exercise doing it. He's really started investing in his work, and spends each Saturday cleaning out flowerbeds and overgrown places.  About a month ago, he started refinishing their deck.  Sanding, staining, and repairing broken pieces.  It's been a lot of work, but he's taking a lot of pride in what he does.  On Saturday, Cody helped him quite a bit. My big boys sure were stinky at day's end!

Fifteen years ago when we moved into our house, I looked at the back and thoughts how badly we needed shutters.  I know many people think it frivolous to take such care of the back of a house that no one sees, but I see it. And so, last month I made some simple shutters.  Ethan and I installed them on Friday.  I really love my new "eyelashes." I still have one window up top that needs shutters, but that will have to wait until next summer.  

We found this sign at Cabella's a few months ago.  I finally got around to hanging it next to our fire pit this weekend. Very appropriate! Tonight, Sunday, was a gorgeous evening with NO WIND.  We've had a freakish season of very high, hot winds that typically don't produce any precipitation.  Anyone who knows me well, knows how much I detest hot wind.  But tonight, it was placid, so we grilled some steaks and ate out on the patio.  Afterward, we played Clue (which I won- Professor Plumb in the water closet with the rope) and then Smart Ass, which Cody won. He always wins that game because his mind is an insufferable abyss of useless trivia...and he loves to rub it in our faces!