shadowkat | Y2/D276 -Happy Holidays..

Well, I'm packed and per usual, second guessing myself. The problem with packing for a trip, any trip really - is you can't take your entire closet with you. (You could try, but it might require a lot of shipping. Somehow, I think David Bowie managed it.)

Also, its really a guessing game. I can't decide if I brought too much or too little. Or the wrong things. It's hard to know really. And I can't really remember what I packed. But, I've learned to take a zen attitude about it - I did the best I could, time to move on. I'm probably going to be wearing the same thing the whole time down there, and cursing myself for packing too much. It's gone both ways to be honest. The bags not full - but it can carry a lot for a carry-on duffel. (It's soft, the hard luggage carries less.) And I'm carrying my very own personal medicine cabinet. The older I get, the more medication I appear to be taking and carting about with me. To keep track of it - I have an am and pm pill case. Silly doctor wanted me to spread meds out even more than I am, and I was like, eh, no.

Mother called this morning.

Mother: You want to explain to me why it is - that I've not been sick for two years, and now - just as you are about to come down to visit, I appear to have a head cold.
Me: Holiday party? Singing in Church again?
Mother: I doubt that did it - no one, well, I'm very frustrated with myself. I can't see your father.
Me: Have you taken the PCR test?
Mother: No, and I don't think I need it. I don't have a headache, I haven't lost my sense of taste, I have no fever. The rapid test came back negative. I took the second one this morning. Do you have itchy eyes with a cold?
ME: You have them with allergies.
Mother: I think this may be allergies - there's a lot of acorns on the ground and I'm very allergic to oak pollen, but isn't it a little late for oak pollen?
ME: No, it's possible. I had my allergies beat me up for a couple of days until I was able to clean away all the dust and mold.
Mother: I have cleaners come once a week - they do all that.

She's upset that she might give me her cold. (I do have seven-eight days off when I get back. This wouldn't be an issue if silly workplace wouldn't just go remote again. But they are afraid to go towards another lockdown.)

Me: Do you want me to cancel -
Mother: No, I do not want you to cancel, I haven't seen you in two years!
Me: We may want to rethink the whole Xmas thing next year and have me come at another time, this is far too stressful.
Mother: We only did it - because I was immobile. Now I'm fully healed, I just have allergies or a head cold. It could go away.
Me: It would be ironic if I were to get COVID from you.
Mother: I do NOT have COVID. And I do not need the PCR test.
Me: Okay.
Mother: I'm mainly worried about driving in the rain tomorrow to the airport.

Sigh, I may end up with a rainy trip to and from the airport.

Wales apologized for being snippy. I think she's forgiven me for not wanting to get together before I took off?

I did laundry - because I realized there were a few items I might want to take in the laundry. I'm actually glad I did it - since it was a nice distraction.

**

Going to bed soon, early wake up call - 3:45 am. We'll see if I sleep. I'm not nervous. Kind of zen - with all of the uncontrollables - see meditation actually works. It's what has kept me sane.

Anyhow, if all goes well? This journal is on hiatus until December 27. (I don't know if my mother's laptop computer still works - she's not really used it in two years. And my father hasn't used his at all.)

Random Photo of the night...