Monday, February 1, 2021

That's Life

My poor daughter-in-law has had her hands full between a husband with covid and a darling two year old who has chosen this particular moment in history to give up her afternoon nap. Now they're in the middle of a snow event from the nor'easter bearing down on the east coast. They will have more than two feet of snow on the ground before the storm ends tomorrow afternoon/evening. They've already lost power briefly. 

She's a cheerful person who seems to be making the best of things despite the fact that when a two year old gives up her naps, it does not necessarily mean that she's ready to give up that afternoon nap. Often by the evening, Iris is exhausted. overwrought, and prone to tempers and meltdowns. 

These difficult evenings are made more difficult by the fact that Brittani is doing it on her own, Dylan being quarantined upstairs, confined to his office, the guest bedroom and guest bathroom. By the end of the day, she's understandably frazzled.

I'm trying to be helpful from afar, and there is nothing I can do, really. I know she's worried about Dylan who seems to have moved into a more concerning phase of covid. She's also dealing with Iris. Alone. 

Video chats, encouraging messages, Books. That's it. All I can offer from this side of the state. 

When I talked to her on Sunday, she was giving me latest on Dylan. I was trying to be encouraging, because really, she's doing a marvelous job. "Perhaps, Iris will have an afternoon nap..." In the background, a small, sing song voice piped up, sweetly: "no nap for meeeeeeeeeee....'"

We both laughed, but...really...ay yi yi!

Today, Tim will find out from the company exactly what Siemens has in store for the Olean operation. We are hopeful of some sort of time line, so that we can get our ducks in a row. The plant is a huge one, covering acres. If they finish out the work they've got, and then start moving all the machinery out, we're looking at a good amount of time. If we get that one year, the insurance will probably not be an issue. 

We're working on another house, but today I will keep myself home. The hardwood floors will wait. until the weather settles down. The driveway is a steep one.

My sister is on call, and so she is spending the night here. We'll have supper and she's promised to cut my hair (and oh! how I do need a trim) Maybe we'll even have time for a scrabble game. 

I have really been enjoying watching the classic movie channel. I saw the Miracle Worker a couple weeks ago. I saw My Fair Lady Sunday. I recognize the names of the movies, but I haven't seen the majority of them before. How sad is that?

I got a yogurt maker coming. I also have a recipe for honey Greek yogurt , which I'm pretty excited to try.

Deadly dull stuff, I know. It's winter. It's a pandemic. Not a lot going on, but we know that spring is coming. 

And speaking of spring....we get a plague of locusts. 2021 is just full of promise!

(And yes, I know that they are not quite the same.)

12 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, how hard it must be for you DiL. A Fairy Godmother would be useful!
    I hope spring is coming - the book I'm reading about the Little Ice Age in the C17 is a bit depressing regarding weather.Perhaps I should stop reading until summer!

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  2. My Fair Lady is a classic. I think it's based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion?

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  3. It is. There are so many movies that I've never seen. Kind of sad when you're watching the classic movie channel because you've never seen the movies before. Katharine Hepburn's screeching at the beginning is awfully grating.

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  4. You DiL's lot is not an easy one right now. and I don't suppose that Dylan is having a blast either.

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  5. Well at least the groundhog has decreed that spring, and the arrival of the plague of locusts, is still six weeks away.

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  6. Psst, Ed? That groundhog LIES. A lot.

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  7. Ugh, your poor daughter-in-law. That sounds like a challenge! I hope the Siemens timeline works out for you.

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  8. It's so stressful for our kids, especially when help is far away and limited by the pandemic. I hope your son gets through this quickly. I envy your hair trim! Mine is out of control these days. A bushy mullet some days, cocker spaniel look at other times. Ugh.

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  9. My cousin's son and daughter-in-law have had it. They have toddlers, too. Quite a nightmare. Thankfully they're both getting better. You probably know this but the advice they got was don't put off getting medical help if your breathing starts to deteriorate. The sooner you get help, the more they can help.

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  10. We avoided the snow event. Of course a snow "event" for us is anything an inch or more. But we got little more than a dusting. I read about the locusts! We have had them here twice, the first time much worse than the second. I can't figure out if we're included in this next round or not. I feel for you DIL. Our DIL had it week before last, and was kind enough to pass it on to our won, who now has it. They have a three-year-old and a three-month-old. Like you, we try to help from afar. They've scheduled Susan to come once they have the all-clear so she can pitch in while they catch up with work. Looks like Daniel (our son) has a much milder case, so hoping it remains that way.

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  11. Please tell your son and daughter in law that I'm so happy with the name Iris. It's such an old name; it's the name of my mother's best friend through childhood. Iris Milke. Mom had her heart sent on her brother marrying Iris, but then Aunt Flo sneaked in and flirted him away.

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  12. No, spring is not coming. 6 more weeks of winter. And then, a plague of locusts! Feeling better? Yeah, I didn't think so. Keep smilin', champ.

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