Faucets, Deconstruction, & Homeless Bats

Dear John,

 

Reporting in:

 

First, I fixed the kitchen faucet on Sunday. I took off the head and found a thick layer of lime scale, not in the filter, but between the head and neck of the faucet. I soaked in in white vinegar all day and had to use a brush and my fingernail to get all the scale off. But now I can run water without it splattering all over the kitchen. It was fun to figure it out.

 

Second, you need to get on this Cubs thing. They've lost their first two games to the Mets. Tomorrow night they'll play game number three. Pitching and hitting have both failed them. They're back at home tomorrow - that should help.

 

Third, I have bronchitis. I had a sniffle on Friday a cold on Saturday, and my lungs crashed at midnight Saturday night. I maxed out on Prednisone and inhalers on Sunday, and I was up until 3 AM sitting up trying to breathe. So today I worked until my lunchtime and went to South Bend to see Barb. There was really nothing to add but antibiotics. It will take me a few days to feel better, but I should be human by our busy day on Friday. She told me not to go to work tomorrow unless I feel much better, but I plan to be there anyway. They need me and I need the paycheck, and Tuesday is always a rather slow day.

 

Fourth, speaking of work, they started tearing the old building down today. The good news is that they got it separated from the pharmacy much more easily than they expected. The bad news is that they walked into the pharmacy at noon and told them they had to close for an hour. So they removed everybody and locked the doors at their busiest time on their busiest day. The town is peeved. But the town had a great time watching it come down, and most of the population was in attendance for some of it. We'd hoped to watch, but they put plywood over the drive-up windows so we couldn't see a thing. The next task is to dismantle the old vault. And when they get to the basement, the bats will go free. Poor homeless bats!

 

That's all that's going on here. I suppose it is enough. For the next few days I'll be up most of the night, feeling awful during the day, and doing as little as possible. 'Tis the price of asthma. I'll feel fine by the weekend. Better living through chemicals!

 

Adore you,

Joan.

Gift Exchange

Dear John,

 

Happy 3 1/2 year anniversary yesterday. I can't believe you've been gone that long. What I really can't believe is that I've survived that long without you. I didn't talk to you last night because I was up late working on your anniversary present - the Cubs won Game 3 and are on their way to the League Championship Series. Or maybe that was your gift to me. Either way, it's wonderful.

 

I didn't have time to get the mail yesterday. When I went to the post office this morning, there was a flier from the Bradford Mint. I'm sure they got our names from some database somewhere - I know we've never ordered anything from the Bradford Mint. I looked at the flier and couldn't put it down. It was addressed to you; here's what they wanted you to buy:

 

 

Amazing, and amazing timing, coming on your 3 1/2 year anniversary. Did you have anything to do with this photo ending up in my mailbox? Is that your chuckle that I hear? I can't help wondering if I gave you the NLCS and you gave me this photo.

 

I know it's true - I know you love me and always will. You know that I feel the same. We each had our day to say that, and lots more, before you died. Thank you for saying it that day and living it every day that I knew you. As for your forgetting to take me with you, we've already dealt with that. Come get me soon?

 

Love you with all my heart,

Joan.



Welcome to October

Dear John,

 

I can't believe it's been a week. I've been coming home so tired that I haven't even gotten on the computer. I picked up a tummy virus that had me down for a couple of days. And now I seem to be trying to get the respiratory bug that everybody at work has had. I suppose our immune systems are responding to all the stress and fatigue.

 

It's been an interesting sports week. As you probably know, the Cubs are in the post-season. They beat Pittsburgh - with a stick - for the wild card spot, and are now 1-1 with the Cardinals after two game in St. Louis. Tomorrow afternoon they play at Wrigley. I hope to get home in time to see part of it. I've actually watched all of these two games - it's the first time since your death that I've been able to make it through a whole baseball game. I suppose I'm watching for both of us.

 

I always said that it was good that I was a Cubs fan, since meaningful baseball never conflicts with football season. That isn't holding true this year. Tomorrow I'll overdose for sure. The Cubs are on at 4:30 and the Steelers are on Monday Night Football. I'll go to work sleep-deprived on Tuesday. And Tuesday will be a horror of a day since we're closed tomorrow. Not that I'm getting a holiday. We have an all-day training meeting in Shipshe tomorrow, 7:45-5:00. Have I ever told you how much I hate all-day training meetings? At least I'll be off my feet. And they are letting us wear jeans and feeding us lunch. There are a few compensations.

 

Otherwise, all is well here. Hunter is finally over his urinary infection. I'll be giving him cranberry powder twice a week for the rest of his life, but I sprinkle it on his food and he doesn't seem to mind it. And he's on special food. All the animals are fine. I was gone all day yesterday, between Corn School in LaGrange, a benefit dinner for our fire department, and watching Notre Dame and the Cubs with Richard. So they've all been velcroed to me today. I spent today taking it easy, knitting, watching football, and blowing my nose. The animals seemed to be fine with that.

 

Think about me tomorrow, sitting in meetings all day. Come after I get home and tell me all about your day. I know it will be much better.

 

Adore you,

Joan.

Fuzzy Jelly Beans, Part II

Dear John,

 

I have the next installment of the Saga of the Fuzzy Jelly Beans. You remember - the litter of kittens Jethro found just outside the fence under the arborvitae. Tonight I let him out and he wouldn't come in, so I knew something, probably feline, was up. I went outside with the flashlight and found him looking at something between the fence and the shed. I got closer and, sure enough, there was one of the kittens. It wasn't a jelly bean anymore, more like a fuzzy Death by Chocolate cupcake. I flashed the light around and saw Mama Cat nearby, arching her back and hissing at Jethro. So I got him inside and let them be. He still wants to adopt the entire family.

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I've had a good and restful weekend. Friday and Saturday at work were much better. We kinda sorta know where things are now and we're getting our rhythm in the new building. Everything is very different, and a lot of our routines and procedures are having to change. We're all tired and stressed and distracted, and nothing we do is coming automatically anymore. We're even having to think when we go to the bathroom, since there are no signs on the doors to tell us which is men's and which is women's. But there's still been no bloodshed and all is well. We will continue to adjust and, as we do, there are things we will like better. In a year, we won't be able to imagine how we managed in the old building.

 

It's been a hit with the town, too. What everybody likes most is a big stained glass window in the wall between the teller line and the drive-up. It's the centerpiece of the bank and it's beautiful. You may remember it - it was in the front of the old dime store. We salvaged it before the building was torn down, and the wall was designed to showcase it. Harold was even in last Monday to take photos for the historical society. The town appreciates the bank valuing history and making a place for it. And so do I. 

 

Please pray for South Carolina. There's a hurricane parked over it and the flooding is terrible. Up here, we've been around 60 during the day and 40s at night. I opened the house again today and it was lovely. We've gotten some rain from the hurricane but, unlike South Carolina, we needed it. We're having a lovely fall. I'm off work next Saturday and will be in LaGrange for Corn School. Maybe I'll ride the Tilt-a-Whirl with Elyssa again. She was no end impressed last year that grandma knew how to make it spin. Some things never get old.

 

Adore you,

Joan.

Not Really Ready for Some Football

Dear John,

 

I'm exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted. And my feet are killing me. And the Steelers are playing the Hated Ravens right now. I won't be up much longer.

 

Monday we got unpacked and moved in as much as we could, and got the bank ready for the new building to open on Tuesday. And Tuesday was The Day from Hell. It started when the internal phone system in LaGrange went down. Not only could we not call them; we had to re-route all phone calls to us. We had two people working all day helping people move their safety deposit boxes to the new building and one pulled to the Shipshewana office, so we were down three people. We had two days' work to do since we'd been closed on Monday. Nobody knew where anything was and there were a few technical glitches. We survived. They fed us pizza. We won't move into a new building again in my lifetime. I'm glad.

 

Wednesday was much better. We're still opening several drawers before we find what we're looking for, but it's getting better. At least the phone system was back up. And I figured out why my feet hurt so bad. We have the same carpet we did in the old building, but that was on a wood floor and this is on concrete. And our padded floor mats haven't been moved over. I plan to go get mine tomorrow, since I'm still the only one who has to work standing.

 

Tomorrow will be our grand opening, and a Friday. I'm expecting to get slammed. But we will survive, and after Saturday we'll have the first week under our belts. Oh, and we're having nights down to 40, so today I closed the house and turned on the heat. It hasn't run yet, but it will later tonight. I wanted you to know that I turned it on before there was ice on the walls. Be proud of me.

 

I'm off to bed now. I'll report in tomorrow if I'm not too exhausted to talk. I've had so much to tell you every night this week, but have been too tired to be coherent. I've just needed to cuddle up and go to sleep on your shoulder. After you rub my feet. Come by in about half an hour?

 

Adore you,

Joan.