New Years & More

It's been awhile.  Sorry.  

We were able to enjoy dinner with our neighbors on Tuesday, 12/28.  Lovely evening with lovely people.  And as usual, while we invited them and let them know the dinner was on us, they insisted on using their comps to pay for the meal.  We had three (THREE!) bottles of wine between the five of us and then we played a bit.  Everyone but me ended up 'up' for the evening - but I lost a bit.  It's the usual 'I could keep playing and maybe the machine will turn' but we had two nights planned at Atlantis for New Years so I was trying to go slow.

B. winged his way back to Nashville on Thursday.  He had a long travel day with flight delays but he made it home.  It was lovely having him - as it always is.  Missed him so much as he and Jim headed to the airport - my heart hurt.  

J. and I enjoyed NYE at Atlantis - the event didn't feel as 'spectacular' as events of the past - and I woke up feeling absolutely horrible.  Nausea and other 'stomach stuff'.  Not sure if it was something I ate.  It could have been something (or a few somethings) I drank.  Beer while at the slot machines, red and white wine with dinner, shots of Tequila at midnight and the guy at the table next to us ordered us champagne as well - so...that was a lot.  We decided to splurge on the buffet brunch and I did feel better after I ate.  But I felt off for days after.  It was worth it.  We made it to the balloon drop at midnight and it was a really fun evening. 

During J.'s preop appointment, the PA (Physician's Assistant) suggested/encouraged us to consider spending the night in Reno on Sunday to ensure we wouldn't experience weather related issues trying to get to Reno from Carson.  A quick call to our hostess secured us a third night.  J. had returned home on Saturday for a night but I wanted to play - and Saturday's play ended up being the best of the three days.  

We arrived at Renown Southmeadows Campus in Reno at 5:30AM on Monday morning.  J. got checked in and I sat with him as they did all the pre-op stuff.  There was a lot of new pre-op stuff because of COVID - including 4 nasal swabs (2 for each nostril) dipped in an iodine 'pasty' solution used to swab his nose.  Also a mouth rinse/wash - brushed his teeth with it then gargled with it.  Then using disinfectant towels on his entire body - something he'd been doing for the two previous days at home as well.  All designed to create a barrier for bacteria or germs to get into your body.  

When they wheeled him to surgery, I knew I had a few hours so (as we'd talked about), I headed back to the hotel to check out and then drove to Carson City.  

There were high wind advisory warnings which are never 'fun'.  There are two large bridges on the route and I am always nervous about those 'higher' spots of the drive - but I got past the last (and the biggest) of the two bridges and breathed a sigh of relief.  "The worst of the drive was over".  Or so I thought.  

Coming down into the low valley, I saw snow on the road.  A lot of snow.  And realized - as we had last week when the wind hitting the dry snow created desert like 'snow drifts' - mounds and mounds of blown snow everywhere - three feet of snow under J.'s bedroom window which is under an eave - yikes, the wind was blowing snow onto the road.  I proceeded incredibly slowly - it was wet, icy, snowy and windy - but I made it home.  Dropped of suitcase, checked in with the cats.  Didn't want to stay away too long - so I headed back.  Road going north had same issues - even worse, really - much more snow and ice - but I made it back to the hospital.  Found J. in his assigned room - he was asleep but awakened when I arrived.  He was doing really well.  Not too uncomfortable.  

The day proceeded as most 'getting out of the hospital today' days do - a series of things that the hospital required.  Respiratory therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, an IV bag of antibiotics.  I kept saying 'we need to really get going or we may not make it home tonight'.  No one listened.  They kept doing their thing.  

We left Reno at 4PM.  The highway was open with 'pilot cars' taking cars through the valley.  We hit huge stopped traffic 15 minutes after we left Reno and were still in the traffic by 8:30PM that night.  You read that right - 4.5 hours sitting in traffic.  At 7PM (which none of us sitting in the traffic jam knew and even if we had known, there was nothing to do about it and nowhere to go to avoid the backup), they closed the valley road due to extreme ice and wind conditions - and started turning southbound traffic around.  

We found out about the turn around plan from a State trooper who had stopped to help a woman with a disabled car.  Once we realized 'OK, we're heading back to Reno', we phoned and got a room - handicap room to ensure there were bars near the toilet and in the shower.  Shortly after making the reservation and advising we had zero idea of when we would arrive, 5 NHP cars with sirens blaring headed north bound - fast.  I said to J. 'there's an accident'.  Sure enough - a big rig - who shouldn't have been on the highway at all because in high winds, trucks higher than 9 feet are prohibited - had tipped over - across all four lanes of the freeway.  We got stuck in that backup for a bit as well.  

Arrived in Reno close to 10:20ish (we think - can't really remember) and got settled for the night.  

Next morning, I decided I'd do my free play that day instead of coming back later that week.  Also went to get breakfast using our weekly food vouchers - got hassled by the restaurant manager insisting that J. had to be present to use the voucher.  We've never had any issue with that at any restaurant on the property and y'all know we have been playing there forever.  It wasn't a great morning but....old 395 was open.  That's the route between Reno & Carson before the freeway was built.  We headed out with help from a bell boy to help with our luggage and a security person to push J. in the wheelchair.  

We made it home and they had opened the freeway in both directions shortly after we arrived home.  Exhausted and never so happy to be home.  

J. is doing phenomenally well.  He is Day 5 post surgery and continues to improve daily - hasn't ever had horrible pain and any pain he has there are medications available if needed.  

I'm doing my best to be as wonderful as a care giver to him as he always is to me - but I have to say it is a lot.  Makes you realize just how much your spouse/partner does around the homestead when you're suddenly doing all of it.  

My New Year's wish?  A fence gate that doesn't stick.  Our fence gate is off kilter or something - it's a beast to open and impossible to close.  I swear I've never had a house with a working gate.  J. says 'it's the weather'.  And I say 'wood contracts in the cold so if it's this bad now, it will be unusable completely in Spring/Summer'.  We're going to have to get it fixed 'cuz I had to put the trash bin (which blew all the way down the street on Friday morning post-pickup) in the garage 'cuz I can't get it into the back with the clugy gate.  

P. reached out to me this morning that she got a text from H. asking (again) for $ for tires for his car.  The car he doesn't have.  She said she asked him 'for a picture of your car' and he stopped texting.  She said 'I was so happy to see you and J. celebrating New Years - please don't feel guilty'.  I told her 'I really don't anymore.  Guilt?  I have zero guilt.  His choices are creating where he's at still/again/always and I'm pretty clear on that, right?  He's been in this cycle of addiction for more than a decade at this point and while the drug of choice wasn't always heroin (maybe it was.  H. knows and he's not talking), the pattern of choosing a life of addiction has been his go-to for a long time.  

It's still hard, always will be hard and it is what it is.   

I ventured to Atlantis for free-play swipe & win (a monthly event) - it was 'fun' but not as fun without my designated driver.  A waitress came over and said 'Blue Moon with an orange in a chilled glass, poured' and I said 'thank you for remembering but sadly, today, I have no DD so I will have a diet Cherry Coke, please'.  

I'm home and having a Blue Moon in a chilled glass in an Atlantis pint beer glass - it's not the same.  Just saying.  

Happy New Year to all!!