If We Were Having Coffee… 7/24

If we were having coffee, we would definitely meet at Villanous Grounds this time. That is the coffee shop I mentioned last week. The first floor is the coffee bar and the second floor is a comic book shop. They have ice cream too and due to the extreme heat, I will opt for a root beer float for our visit. Maybe after our chat we can browse the comics upstairs. I would look at the Walking Dead graphic novels. I would tell you that I would like to read them but I refuse to until the television series ends. I don’t want both TWD universes competing in my brain.

You may notice that I look a little brighter today, a little lighter. I am officially on vacation. I don’t go back to work until August 1. For now, I am thankful to have this time to rest. I am sure that next Sunday when we have our next visit I will be fretting about going back to an enormous pile of work. But for today, I feel good. We are not travelling anywhere for this vacation. I have a mammogram tomorrow. My older daughter has several events this week for back to school. We will do school clothes and supplies shopping. We all need haircuts. So it will be a busy – but not hectic – week.

Things are going somewhat better for our cats, Gracie and Charlie. Charlie has settled in and gotten comfortable – and turned into a typical kitten. She is rambunctious and adventurous. She has no fear. Gracie now tolerates her, unless Charlie gets up in her face. And since Charlie is a kitten, she does get in Gracie’s face. Charlie just wants to play, she is not malicious. Gracie, however, can only take so much. So they are mostly coexisting with some minor skirmishes when Charlie gets wound up. If things keep progressing like this they will hopefully be friends soon.

Catch me up on your week. What would you tell me if we were having coffee?

Thanks to Part Time Monster for hosting Weekend Coffee Share. Join in by creating your own coffee share post with the tag weekendcoffeeshare and/or add to the linkup here.

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Weekend Coffee Share 7/17

If we were having coffee, we might actually meet in public this time. Maybe the cute new coffee shop/comic book store in my little hometown. You see, my back is doing somewhat better. I still have pain (sometimes quite a bit of pain) but I am getting up and around. I mean, I’ve been working all week so I am functional. I’m not saying it hasn’t been a struggle – because it has – but I am doing ok. I had a couple of rough days, especially Friday and Saturday after my steroid treatment was over. Today I have felt better than I have in several days. Who knows what tomorrow holds. I feel like the whole process has been a dance of steps forward and steps backward. But today is a good day and we will have our coffee date.

We celebrated my daughter’s eighth birthday today. Her actual birthday is tomorrow. It is hard to believe that my baby is already 8. She is getting ready to start 3rd grade. How does that even happen?? I remember delivering her and seeing her squishy face as she was placed on my stomach. I remember it with such a clarity, like it was yesterday. She has been my easier child in ways. She has a laid-back, even temperament. She has been my more challenging child in ways. She has an adventurous nature and a knack for getting into trouble. Although she is impish, she has a soft heart and a sweet soul. She is in love with all things to do with baby dolls and the maternal instinct is strong with this one. She is also a creative storyteller, a girl after my own heart.

In other news, we got a new kitten this week. We had been talking about getting another cat because well, we love cats and also to give our 4 year-old cat, Gracie, a companion. My husband found a stray kitten at work earlier this week and we decided to bring her home. We kept her isolated until she got a clean bill of health from the vet. She is adorable and a total cuddle bug and all of the humans in the house are in love with her. Guess who isn’t so thrilled about her? Gracie. So far the integration has been unsuccessful. We are working to introduce them gradually but so far Gracie isn’t having it. I’m hoping that by the time we have coffee next week I will have better news on that front. This is Charlotte (Charlie):

What would you tell me if we were having coffee? How has your week been?

Thanks to Part Time Monster for hosting Weekend Coffee Share. Join in by creating your own coffee share post with the tag weekendcoffeeshare and/or add to the linkup here.

Weekend Coffee Share 7/10

It is time again for weekend coffee share (hosted by Part Time Monster). Join in by creating your own coffee share post with the tag weekendcoffeeshare and/or add to the linkup here.

If we were having coffee, I’m not sure where we would meet. I am not up to going anywhere. I am flat on my back, literally. But let’s pretend. If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I threw my back out again. This is the second time in a year and a half. It happened Thursday night for no apparent reason. The back pain came on suddenly and got worse until I was basically incapacitated. Friday I stayed home from work because I couldn’t get around. The back pain was bad but the muscle spasms were worse. If I got on my feet at all – even for a quick trip to the bathroom – all of my lower back muscles would seize up and spasm, completely immobilizing me with pain. The first time it happened, I panicked and almost hyperventilated.

By Friday night I couldn’t take it anymore and my husband took me to the ER. They gave me a shot of morphine, a shot of muscle relaxant and a dose of prednisone. Within a couple of hours, the pain was manageable and I was actually able to walk (oh so slowly) out of the ER on my own. Saturday I spent the day mostly flat on my back, keeping myself full of steroids, muscle relaxers and ibuprofen. Getting up and down is the worst but I can now walk, dress myself and go to the bathroom by myself.

This morning when I woke, the pain was worse. I took my meds and gave them time to work. Two hours later I was able to take a shower. It is amazing how soap and water can make you feel human again. I will spend the day again mostly flat, trying not to aggravate my back too much until I can get to the chiropractor tomorrow morning. The chiropractor that I saw last year passed away several months ago, so I will be seeing the new chiro that took over his practice. I am praying that she can make me more functional because I really need to get back to work on Tuesday (since I missed Friday and will miss Monday).

The last couple of days have been a haze of pain (and meds), but I have been following the unrest that is happening around my country… Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, the killing of police in Dallas and police officers shot in St. Louis and Georgia. It is confusing and scary and depressing. I wish I had answers. Social media has been a firestorm of differing opinions. We need to come together as a nation and address these issues openly and honestly – we need to be raw and vulnerable and willing to make changes. Like I said, I wish I had answers. Right now all I have are questions.

I have a lot of time to kill so talk to me. Chat me up in the comments. How has your week been?