9

So I shoved a swab into the deep dark recesses of my sinuses again today, still came up covid positive... on Day 9. This is getting pretty repetitive, that's for sure. I am down to a bit of a stuffy nose, the occasional sneeze to clear said nose, and random coughs here and there. Not much of anything. I never did hit the high temps with a fever, no aches and pains, no feeling like I was on death's doorstep. I just had a cold. And a positive covid test to go along with it.

Since I am not up on the hospital's policy of workers and covid infections, I messaged my boss to get the lowdown. Apparently the hospital does not care about your covid status, as long as you have been at least 24 hours without a fever, and wear a mask at work while you still have symptoms. Alrighty then!

Back to work for me on Wednesday, testing be damned! And just to be extra thorough, I checked my temperature today. If anything, I am a little on the cool side. 36.2C or 97.3F. Actually, that isn't chilly, it is within normal limits. So no fever. Yay.

I will continue to use my nasal rinse bottle to see if I can clear up the stuffiness. It does help. Sometimes it is amazing what comes out of there!! On Wednesday, I will head into work, wearing a mask and armed with lozenges and kleenex. I honestly hope this is the one and only time I have covid, but if I do ever catch it again, having it masquerade as a cold isn't bad. It's annoying, but not too bad. There are lots of people out there who get it much worse that what I've had.

So keep yourselves safe! Even if you just have a cold, and not covid, please stay home, look after yourselves, and wear a mask if you have to go out! You do not need to share any of your germs with others, because that is just plain rude.

Damn.

 So I got my nursing registration reinstated and started working last week. Had a shift on Tuesday, which was super busy with all day clinics, seeing patients, on my feet, talk talk talk. Wednesday morning, everything hurt (lower back, knees and feet) and my throat was scratchy! Having spent many months just chitchatting with the cats and the occasional person, my voicebox was not at all used to the verbal calisthenics to which it was subjected.

My second shift was Friday, which is a catch up on paperwork day, and prep charts for clinics in the weeks ahead. Not too busy, no patients to see, so much more relaxed. I did have to go up and down in the elevator getting my swipe card from security to be able to get into the unit, paperwork from my boss, etc. Saturday afternoon I started to cough. Sunday I tested positive for covid.

I managed to work through the whole damn pandemic without catching it!!!! But hospital policy is now you only have to wear a mask when doing direct patient care. So I didn't wear a mask in the elevator that was relatively full of other workers and visitors.

Luckily I have 6 covid vaccinations under my belt (or, in my arm, actually) so it is more like a cold. I have a barky cough so I am sure my neighbours think a seal has moved in. I am sneezing (but not stuffed up), and because this seems to be concentrated in my upper airway, each achoo tries to rip out my throat. Owie!! And I don't have much of a voice. I freaked out Aska when I talked to her because my voice was low and gravelly. She was horrified and ran away! I now have to whisper to her, which she is fine with. Goofy cat. My sister kindly picked up some things for me, including a couple of packets of losenges. That definitely helps reduce the coughing fits. No fever, no fatigue, I can still smell and taste. Mild headache yesterday, but that may have been from coughing and sneezing.

I will test every day and hopefully by Thursday I will be negative again, as I have another shift booked. This working for a living is bad for your health!

Trudging along

 I am still waiting to get my nursing license reinstated. It is a long drawn out process, with paperwork submitted to various agencies, then waiting on their processing of same. But yesterday, I finally submitted the last of the required paperwork and am now at the mercy of the College of Registered Nurses and however slow their process of approval is. Hopefully not long, as I would like to be working before the month is out. At least I know that I have a job to go to when all is said and done.

I had the Calico Kids in to the vet in October for their annual checkups and vaccinations. Andi had bloodwork and urine done to see where he's at with his health. He is a complicated little guy, that is for sure! Turns out he has hyperthyroidism, which is more often seen in senior cats. He is only 4! But the vet said it can cause overgrooming, so hopefully that is his issue with all the scratching and licking. He is now on a daily medication to bring his thyroid levels down and goes for repeat bloodwork in December. He seems to be less itchy now and, fingers crossed, that is all it is!! He is getting tired of eating rabbit every meal, as he sniffs his bowl and looks at me like "I want what they're having!", but he will eat once I pet him and stir it up a bit. I have started giving him some canned tuna (catfood) once a day when the girls get it, and that makes him very happy. He just wants some variety!! The medication is very inexpensive ($19/120 days) which is waaayyy less than the rabbit ($250/month). I would like them all to eat the same foods. Makes my life a lot easier, and the cats happier.

It is definitely the beginning of winter here. It is only about -1C (30F) but it snowed last night and today on the radio they equated it to driving through mashed potatoes. Yup, been there done that. And it is very slippery underneath. A lot of the rural highways are like skating rinks, lots of school closures, and just the advice to stay home if you don't really have to go out! So that is what I am doing. I have nothing pressing to do today so I am hunkered down inside with some hot cocoa, a good book, and cats on my lap.

Had my annual flu shot last week, the quad shot ~ 4 times the strength of the regular one. If you are over 65, it is definitely something to think about. I also got the pneumoncoccal pneumonia shot, also recommended for those 65 and up. Protects against a number of pneumonia strains. Us seniors are more susceptible to respiratory illnesses, so I am a firm believer in getting vaccinated. I am also due next month for my next covid booster. I got one in the summer prior to going to Iceland and I am quite willing to get jabbed every 6 months if that is what it takes to avoid catching that nastiness.

It's nice to see some of the US states doing things right. And I hope That Giant Tangerine Turd digs himself a hole so deep no one can toss him a rope to climb out (not that he would be able to haul his fat ass up a rope without a crane anyway...). That does not need to get into office again. I saw a clip of Hillary Clinton saying she can't imagine what the US would look like if that happens. I still think she would make a fantastic president.

Grinding of the cogs

 Well, I will be going back to my old job, the casual one I had in the Renal Health Clinic before I retired. I had coffee with the ladies there last Friday and my old supervisor was mentioning how understaffed they are but of course, the hospital will not allow additional permanent positions for the unit. And they only have one casual nurse and she is very occsional as she also works in dialysis. I mentioned that I would be interested in coming back and she said "Yes! We would love to have you back!".

I emailed the head of the department and she also said I am welcome back. So now I just have to get my nursing license reinstated. Which means navigating a brand new system at the Nursing College that went into effect yesterday.

I tried to set up an account on that system, only to find that my old account was deactivated because of my retirement and that I didn't renew for this year at all. So I have tried to contact various entities at the College trying to get it up and running again, but as they run a "hybrid" office now, most people are not actually at the College. I chatted with the online "help" person (not a bot but a live human) and after hearing my problem, I was instructed to email the registration dept at the College with my issue.

So, I have. And now I wait for their reply. In the meantime, I have filled out all the online forms for criminal record checks, vulnerable person sector checks, and adult and child abuse registry checks. All necessary here for any job that requires you to deal with people in the healthcare system.

But I can't pass up a job that I liked, working with people I like, and very good money... better than any other I could get in a post-retirement job. So I will sit here and twiddle my thumbs, waiting...

Unfortunately serious

 I have finally adjusted to being retired. Yay! It has taken me months to not feel like I am just on vacation. And now I am seriously entertaining the idea of getting a part time job because my pensions are just not enough in this world of rising costs of living. The rent on my apartment has gone up and it really is unaffordable for a nonworking single person. Totally okay for a couple who are working though, but that isn't me. Add on to that the skyrocketing cost of groceries. Maybe I need to live on ramen noodles. I spend more on Andi's catfood than on my own food.

Because of his allergies, he is on freeze-dried raw rabbit. Rabbit. That's it. The one protein he doesn't react to and will eat with great gusto. I had to find protein sources that he had not been exposed to in the past. Chicken is a very common allergen in cats and dogs, so that was the first thing I cut. Even when eating the prescription food from the vet, he was still reacting terribly, so I figured it was all the stuff in commercially manufactured pet food. Which even the stuff from the vet contains. So no more canned food, no more dry kibble (all of which he loved and scarfed down like he was always starving). I tried freeze-dried venison, and pork, and even salmon. He didn't like the pork or the venison, and while he loved the salmon, he started scratching is neck bloody. Agh!! Rabbit, it is then. The freeze-dried raw food is shaped into nuggets and contains only one protein ~ whole (bones and organs included) rabbit in this case ~ and only some fruits and seeds. All of this is ground together and then freeze-dried. I don't have the freezer space for frozen raw food (which I would totally feed if I did) and this stuff is shelf stable for 30 days once the bag is opened. Just crumble a couple of nuggets into his bowl with a bit of warm water to rehydrate, and Bob's your uncle. However... a 397g (14 oz.) bag is $60!! And that lasts about 3 weeks. For one cat. I have two others. Thankfully they eat regular, much less expensive but still not inexpensive, catfood.

So I am seriously entertaining the idea of finding a part time job to make ends meet. I have come across a part time job in one of the city libraries. Years ago, before I got into nursing, I worked in a university library. I really enjoyed that work. So I am hoping this gives me a bit of an edge with my application. I will have to rework my resume to highlight that part. All the jobs I have applied for in the past 30 years have been in nursing. So wish me luck!

My niece and I (she is also single and struggling with rent) are looking for an apartment to share that allows cats. She has one. I have three. We will have to lie on the application form of wherever we end up because most places only allow a maximum of two. Her cat is a black and white ginormous boy who is very social and not at all shy. All three of mine are scaredycats, so I would only put Andi on the form. You almost never see any of mine if you come over. They all run and hide, unless it is my sister, and then Andi will come sit in the doorway, and sometimes Lila will wander out. But never Aska. 

So I am off to tweak my resume. Wish me luck! On both the job front, and the apartment hunting. Both are not what I want to do, but what I have to do.

Two weeks today...

 I will be landing in Iceland!! My sister and I leave Winnipeg on August 5th, fly to Montreal to change planes (with a 4 hour stopover but that's okay, especially if there are delays) and land in Keflavik (that's where the international airport is) Sunday morning, Aug. 6th in the land of our ancestors.

And there is an eruption happening right now! It is very small, so no worries about life and limb, or air travel interruptions. Although not far from where we will be staying (about 30 kms as the crow flies), there is no danger unless you are close to it. It does give off dangerous gases in the local vicinity, but the Icelandic gov't is very good about closing the hiking trail to the viewing area if the wind shifts. But we won't be going to see it, because I am just not up for a 20 km hike to get there!! There are lots of other things to see in beautiful Iceland.

We will be staying for 2 weeks, renting a lovely little apartment that is attached to a family's house in a community just outside of Reykjavik. They will be our hosts. We went through VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) to find it. It has everything we need: kitchen, 2 bedrooms, laundry facilities, and even a hot tub in the backyard! That will be lovely to soak away all the aches and pains after spending our days wandering around the capital area (and other areas within a day's drive). We are renting a car as well, so will venture out and about to some of the sights in the area.

I have lists and lists of what I need to take, and what I need to do before I leave. I have a pet sitter coming to live at my place while I am away, to care for the cats. There is no way I could take them to a boarding facility. I did that with one cat years ago, and he came back scarred for life from that experience. He was so terrified while he was there that they had a hard time even cleaning his kennel because he would attack them. His nickname became Psycho Kitty, and I insisted on handling him at the vet from then on, as I could tell how he would react by how he felt in my hands. It would absolutely destroy the calico kids, and I think even Lila, as not too bright as she is, would suffer. So the pet sitter is a great option!

The only places outside of Canada that I have visited are the US and Mexico. Time to explore somewhere else!

We will be meeting a bunch of people who are related to us through our great grandmother on my dad's side. I had done my DNA on My Heritage a few years ago, and last year a woman messaged me through there that we are cousins. So my great grandmother is her great aunt. There is a family gathering on Aug. 12th, so we will meet lots of people there! I hope to make some good connections with family there. My dad died years ago and his one sibling, my aunt, has severe dementia and lives in a care home, so there is no one here to talk to about the Icelandic side of the family. But either way, it will be the trip of a lifetime!!!

Iceland in summer

Iceland in Winter

One day, I would love to go to Iceland in the winter also. The northern lights, Aurora Borealis, are apparently quite spectacular! We can see them here in the middle of Canada also, but when you are so close to the arctic circle, they are so much more vibrant! While it is snowy and stormy in winter, the temps are nowhere near as cold as here in Winnipeg. Our weather in winter is similar to Siberia. Bitter cold and very dry (the static electricity in winter is horrendous... the cats shy away from pets because of the shocks). In Iceland, they get lots of storms because it sits in the North Atlantic ocean, that little rock. But our summer trip will be more about staying dry from the frequent rains. I have waterproof hiking boots, a rain suit (jacket and pants) that I will carry with me at all times in a backpack. Definitely a necessity!

I am only just a teeny bit excited....!!!!

Cut loose!

I am now officially a pensioner. As of Dec. 30th, I became fully 100% retired. And in less than a month, I turn 65. How did that creep up so fast???

What do I do with my time? Getting as much asleep as I can, which isn't saying much because I am not a good sleeper at the best of times. But there have been a couple days when I got close to 8 hours! Of course, the cats think that is too long and it is usually Lila at the bedroom door, mrrrowing incessantly. Little worm.

I sold my antique oak sideboard that has resided with me for almost 40 years. (see below) It was just too big. I live in an apartment now and it took up too much space. It was a beautiful old thing and good for storage, but I needed a desk. So I contacted a local antiques shop and they paid me cash for it. And came and hauled it away. Having moved that thing umpteen times, I know how heavy it is!!

So then I hit up Ikea for some components to make a desk/sewing area. I have room for my printer, I have lots of drawers, and I can finally have my little Tiffany-style table lamp where it is supposed to be! I bought it last year when I bought the two floor lamps, but had nowhere to put it until now. This had always been the plan for it.

I also bought a new sewing machine. My sister bought a real fancy computerized Janome and she has been learning to use it. I was surprised she bought such a fancy one, as she has never done a lot of sewing. But she is learning! The one I bought is not computerized like hers, but still does a lot more than my old Kenmore 24 stitch machine that I bought from Sears years ago... about 15 years maybe? And I have a Babylock serger that I picked up in San Diego when I lived down there in the 1990s. The place I bought my new machine from does repairs and tuneups, so I will take the two older machines in for servicing and then will sell the Kenmore. Or maybe donate it somewhere. And eventually I will get back into sewing myself some clothes. A much better fit than from a store!

Pips is 16 now and getting frail. She definitely fits the "elderly" profile. And she has a chronic runny nose which we are treating with nose drops (that's fun to do on a cat). Andi is allergic to the cat litter I used to use (it was made from grass seed and was the best clumping litter ever!) so now I am back to using clay litter and he is not nearly as itchy. It was so bad, he had licked the hair off the inside of one hind leg and was working on his belly! Had to have 2 rounds of steroids to get that under control. Lila and Aska thankfully do not have any health concerns at the moment.

My sister and I (she is the 'baby' of the family and is 5 years younger than me) are going to Iceland in August of this year, for 2 weeks. I had done my DNA through My Heritage a few years ago and last February a woman in Iceland contacted me. Turns out we are 3rd cousins (my great grandmother is her great aunt). So through all the communications with her, and one of her aunts (my great grandmother was her aunt), we will be at a family gathering in Iceland on Aug. 12th. My sister and I will be there for 2 weeks, so plenty of time to do exploring. We have already booked our flights and accommodations. 

And to that end, I have started taking an Icelandic language course. The first level is learning the mechanics of the language. Unlike english, every letter or letter combination is always pronounced the same, with only a very few exceptions. It is very interesting! I am hoping to be able to take a couple more levels before our trip so that I have rudimentary conversational skills. But that isn't necessary, because almost everyone in Iceland speaks english. It is more for the ancestral cultural interest that I am doing this.

So far, retirement has been about catching up on rest and getting a lot more reading in. I love to read and since I can neither afford to buy all the books I want, nor have the space to store them, I have an ereader and currently have about 500 books on it. I have read a good number of those but always have a 'to be read' list that is really long!

I also bought myself a digital piano as a retirement gift to myself and am learning to play and to read music. Something I have always wanted to do!

It is still in the depths of winter here, although this month has been warmer than normal. That just means more days warmer than -15C and fewer colder than -25C. We still have a good 2+ months of winter left and it can always get much colder for that time. I'm happy I no longer need to get up at well before the sun comes up to head off to work!!