Week in W's and Wellness

hen a person isn't feeling great, it's nice to get warm thoughts and kind words. Thanks for the nice wellness thoughts-I'm feel much better today. In fact, once I was properly caffeinated and drank more water, and I know caffeine can be dehydrating but both were needed, my headache was gone without any more Tylenol. I realized I had skipped a couple days of allergy tablets, but we must not have really had a hard frost as the allergen's still abound. Within 6 hours of taking  the tiny little guy, I was less congested,  the scratch in my throat was gone, and had only a few lingering sneezes. 

     Here's a W on my mind, wellness. I'm thinking about strategies to hopefully get myself, DH, and others  through another season feeling well. It's not just the C word, which now I guess there's two C words that make us all pause, but the lack of light in winter and mental wellness, the added driving risk in bad weather, being able to get outside for fresh air and walks, is all part of my why I worry about staying well, staying healthy. For the rest of my W's, here's my weekly list. 

What's top of mind:  Covid numbers in Minnesota are top of mind-aligning with why wellness is top of mind. Nothing  a state wants bragging rights to, but Minnesota has the highest per capita rates in the country right now. I don't understand the why's of this. Our school  district is considering morning to a two week virtual learning cycle to try and get over the hump of  teacher absences due to  positive testing, quarantining of classrooms. Of course the on-line fighting breaks out between those that preach "99.9%" recoverable, and those that have had loved ones impacted with death or severe illness.

 I'm a walking oxymoron. I wear a mask in grocery stores, any shopping, and when I go to the counter to get my beer at Trivia. But sitting at the table with friends, I don't wear one. We go out for dinner on occasion and we went to the bar to hear our friend perform. I'm sitting with people I know are vaccinated, but a table or two away, I have no idea if people are paying attention to the honor system or not, and wearing masks at all times if not vaccinated. Obviously they can't eat or drink with it on anyway, so I certainly can be picking up the virus or spreading it to them. No one will convince me mask wearing doesn't help the spread. Haven't we taught kids from early on to cover their mouth when they cough, sneeze into their shoulder, and other mitigation efforts to keep from spreading germs? Wouldn't a mask keep particles sprayed with just talking with the same conventional wisdom? Until health care workers are not stretched to the limits caring for Covid patients, we have to do better than just learning to live with Covid. 

Where I've been: Related to the above, and why I'm grateful it seems my half a day of crud was beer and allergy related, I've been several places. Lefse making at SIL's, bar to hear music, clinic for blood draw, Sam's Club, and the bakery, following my half day in the office. I've decided I need to stop drinking brewery beer due to headaches. The seltzer doesn't seem to bring them on, but I've noticed each time I drink beer, the next day my head is pounding in the morning-and I mean after a single pint, not a hangover. My daughter thought perhaps it is the hops and grains they use and how they are fermented. 

Where I'm going:  I guess this is the last Friday W's before Thanksgiving-we'll be at both my sisters and then my MIL's for a bit. As far as groceries, we need milk but should be good with everything else for meals, but I need ingredients for my Thanks giving contributions. I might do that tonight. I feel like next week things will be lean in stores-earlier than other years, but my stuff isn't necessarily Thanksgiving specific-well, I am bringing the roasted sweet potatoes. I already got a Mediterranean  olive type platter at Sam's to bring to my MIL's Thanksgiving evening, but will need a crusty bread and crackers. Other than that, I don't really need to go anywhere. If it is somewhat nice on Saturday, I'll get the dog to the river or the  county park for a good walk out of our same neighborhood. My daughter and I might do something tonight but DH and I have not other plans though. I'm in the office next Monday and maybe Tuesday for packing for the move the first of the year. I think I'm only one of about 5 from our division of 30 that is working all three days.

What I'm reading: I got my book club book started, barley. We are reading The Firekeepers Daughter. I did the check out for pick-up, scheduled for Monday at 6:00. I got so busy doing grant reviews for work, it was after 8:00 when I finished and totally forgot to pick up and of course the library was closed by then. I swung by on Tuesday and the book, in a bag marked for me, was on the pick-up shelf outside the library. I think it was there all night and day form the previous pick-up time. I'm lucky no one walked off with the book and stuck me with a lost book fee. 

What I'm listening to: I surfed around the day driving to the office and the  station that plays Christmas music has started. I will not listen until the day after Thanksgiving, so kept going until I landed on an MN Public Radio program. They have shifted their programming around, so this was a sort of call in segment-which I hate because there's always wind bags that think their  points are so profound and drag out their call in  message. Home listening was two different webinars I had conflicts with, but were recorded so I could listen while checking emails.  

What I've been watching:  As I wanted something uplifting last night, I watched Enchanted with Amy Adams. It's the fairy tale of Giselle who is pushed through cartoon Andulasia to New York City, live. It is cute and a bit funny. The NYC rodents, bugs, and pigeons cleaning like Snow White's  forest animals is my favorite part. This and Ella Enchanted are a couple of my favorite twists on the old classic fairy tales. 

What I'm eating: I finally froze two large portions of the tortellini soup. DH is doing his bored with leftover routine again. Well, he was bored again I bet because with picking up the rotisserie chicken, he had that two nights in a row, a sandwich while it was still hot on Sunday, and then with a steamer bag of a quinoa/brown rice mix on Monday. He may have ate Tuesday as well-I had the last of the soup I didn't freeze and he found something else, but said he wasn't that hungry as he had been out for a late lunch. Other things done with the chicken was a chicken, rice, broccoli and cheese hotdish last night, and I froze a large amount of the chicken too. I stuck what remained in the crock pot with onion, carrot, and water and cooked down for a rich broth. I may freeze instead of making more soup-I'll decide by dinner tonight. It was the chicken that won't go away! For variety, I made tacos for Wednesday, but of course, we have leftovers of those and the last nights dinner. I need to find a supper buddy-we can each swap cooking, then either of us would have so many leftovers and would cu our cooking in half. 

Who I'm paying attention to: I'm still thinking about a couple family members and hope their lives can become more stable. It's completely up to them, and both realize it, even if they haven't made changes. On a happier note, my team member that delayed her wedding twice, and changed honeymoon travel plans four times, is finally getting two weeks to celebrate her new family. She had such a good attitude through all the ups and downs. I now of course, hope she has safe travels. 

Who needs to be (figuratively) slapped: Maybe I'm in a mellower mood, but besides the usual  right wing Asshats, sociopaths, and nut jobs, and a few  over the top left wingers thrown in, no one comes immediately to mind that needs to be slapped. Wait-I do have people to slap. The community members that whine on Facebook about the bakery closing and then think they have all the answers of how  to fix it. Yes, because the owners who are third generation and have been running the business for 30 years themselves need some yahoo on Facebook's idea and the reasons they are closing will just miraculously go away. 

What's Making Me Smile:  I had a funny text exchange from my daughter in college. She was letting me know the number of "swipes" she has left on her dining plan. For the most part, we estimated pretty well what she would need for on campus meals, but as her schedule leading up to the holiday concerts is so packed she has no time to run home or cook for meals in her apartment, she has been grabbing lunch and sometimes dinner in the dining hall  a bit more. While we can add more swipes, but the smallest is 25 for $350, and likely she'll only be short about 5-7 swipes. Sometimes she uses the regular dining service, and others she uses the grill type grab and go. ! I told her to use her swipes  in the formal DS, but pay cash for the grab and go as it will be cheaper, and take out of her grocery money we give her. She can also pay for an individual entrance in DS for cash-both options much less than the $350 for what shell need until semester break. I added in a separate text  "Don't Not Eat". I got a sad face emoji back. then a few seconds later, I got a laughing face emoji and she typed, "I read your message as DON'T EAT. "  Food is my love language, so she had to have been confused at first thinking I would suggest my tiny 100 pound child would just not eat meals. I typed back, "Eat, Eat, Munch, Munch, Mange, Mange".to which I got, "What am I your daughter or a sheep." Not the most exciting story, but she made me smile. 

     I know this was a sort of ramble. Sometimes my fingers just keep going, not knowing when to stop. If you stuck to the end, I'll add my usual invite to  join in. What are the W's of your week?