I did a shorter walk this morning because Yvette said that my right foot was inflamed. I managed to get in 5,000 steps instead of 6,500 to 7,000. When I got home, the gate was closed because Yvette was doing driveway yoga. When I came in, there were four students. Her numbers are growing. They were doing a spinal twist while sitting on folding chairs. I had already released Elsa to run around soliciting affection from the participants. I stood there doing the best spinal twist I could while standing. I told Yvette that I wasn't feeling that well and was planning to go to Kaiser to check my oxygen level. I didn't think I actually had the virus, but something wasn't right. She suggested that I join in and do a backbend with the students, lifting my heart up. I felt better immediately. I have done backbends periodically. This one was more effective because I was doing it in a group and under Yvette's watchful eye.
I felt better for the rest of the day. I didn't need a single nap. I finished the article and sent it out to Dorothy and Shivani to be evaluated. Dorothy was already in bed, but Shivani got back to me, giving me a thumbs up on getting the article done. It was Shivani who recommended that I work on writing an article instead of the technical book I was working on.
I went out today to do some chores. I needed to get my car inspected. As I drove, the triangle warning light and battery light came on. That meant that my first stop was going to be JAWS to find out what was going on. Edwin was speaking to another customer. I stood at a distance and waited. When he was available, I thanked him for talking to Scott when he wanted to know where the battery in the Toyota was when mine died. This was the first time I drove the car since Scott had replaced it.
While I was concerned that it was my hybrid battery that was now failing, I also thought it might just be that the signal light had to be reset. It would have gone on when the battery was taken out. Edwin said he didn't know. He would reset the warning light and see what happened. Happily, the light went out and never came on again.
I asked Edwin where his receptionist was. She was furloughed. He said his business was down. If the phone rang twice a day, that was good. He was hanging on. I thought he would be busy. As he pointed out, if people lost their incomes, car repair was not a high priority, particularly if their vehicle was just sitting in their driveways doing nothing.
I stopped at Island Naturals to pick up spaghetti and spaghetti sauce. Julia saw me and greeted me joyfully. She had been a Bikram teacher and was now the manager of the store. She has found her calling in this job. I was sure they would carry whole wheat spaghetti. They didn't—what a surprise. I probably couldn't have done better at Safeway. I also picked up two Envy apples.
Then I was off to Target to return some pillowcases that were still in their original packaging. These must-haves been bought well before Mike died. I didn't have any problems returning them. I was going to see if I could find whole wheat spaghetti there but got distracted. I looked for Amy's frozen food products. Sandor had picked up some of Amy's products for me, and they were delicious. I had picked up another one, and it was also fantastic. I bought four. I forgot all about the spaghetti.
I went up to Midas next to get my car examined. I parked and looked through the box in the car for my car registration and insurance card. I found the current registration, but no luck on a current insurance card. Adam had said there wasn't a current one a long time ago. Josh and I both said there was one. Adam was right. By the time I put the new card in, it was already expired. I paid off the insurance for the year. I suspect they haven't sent me an updated one. I printed out a copy of the insurance cards. I told Yvette that I didn't think she had a current one in the Ford that Josh drove to work. She went to check. Yvette was also surprised. She also told me that I would need a cardboard copy from the company; it was a requirement of Hawaii law. I called Progressive and ordered the official copies.
I had noticed at some point in my travels that I didn't have my phone on me. I stayed calm and waited until I got home. There it was, sitting on my typing chair. Ah!
I noticed that my friend John called. He had read about the problems I was having with Elsa doing her business wherever. I suggested I train her to a wee-wee-pad. She was trained to a wee-wee pad before I got her when she was two and a half. I put them out for her. She never used them. She preferred my carpets when desperate. The last time she used the rug, she did it right in front of me. No, she was not being fresh; she just doesn't have a way to signal that she has to go. She barks like a maniac when other dogs are barking, or we meet a dog she hasn't had contact with before on our walk, or, when God forbid, the mailman drops off a package. However, she never, and I do mean never, barks or gives me any signals when she has to go out. Elsa will follow me into the bathroom every time I go. Sometimes, she wants me to throw balls for her to chase. But sometimes, Elsa goes to the outside door and waits there. Then I know she has to go out. Unfortunately, sometimes, I forget to let her back in. She may be out there for an hour or so until I realize I haven't seen her for a while. When I rush to the bedroom, she will be sitting on the chaise lounge looking at me. Why doesn't she bark?
It's not that she's stupid. Quite to the contrary, Elsa is very bright. I came up with the training solution while talking with John, putting scented wee-wee pads into the shower. I have a universal shower. It's easy to access for one and all. I'm good with Elsa doing her business there. It goes down the drain. When I went to the bathroom before going to bed, I noticed that a section of the shower floor was wet. That's super bright; she heard me talk about using the shower floor, and that's what she did.
I loaded the sprayer with a gallon of vinegar and took care of the weeds in my front yard. Spraying the whole yard prophylactically doesn't seem to be helping. I went back to just spraying the weeds that were there. As a result, I treated the entire area, getting into one space I hadn't visited for a while. I discovered that two of my hibiscus plants were covered with blister mites again. I treated them once before. I was told by a garden expert that I should cut down the old shrub. The plant came back with a vengeance, so I thought it would be alright. I suspect it is vulnerable to infestations because it's weakened due to age. I will have to cut it way back and keep it that way until the gardeners come back and remove it. I'm going to have to cut back the shrub next to it too. I will just treat that one once all the sick leaves are gone. That is going to be a job and a half.
Ann texted to ask if I would operate the Zoom for my meeting with her student on Thursday. I thought I would be okay, but I ran into trouble after I talked to her. August, my grandson/tech advisor, can help me with it today. My frustration with the program actually got me down. Go figure. How silly can the human condition be? I think we either get angry or down when we get frustrated.
Ann was going to follow up on the work I had done with her student on comprehension. However, she got started late and had to cut the session short. Also, the student wanted to work on a different book. He didn't do well. He is having terrible problems remembering the names of the characters. He does okay with the other repeated words; he just has issues with their names. I have no idea. It will be interesting to explore what that may be about. Even if he misreads the word, does he know who the character is? I will work with him on Thursday. I will try to ferret out the problem and solve it.
I started watching The English Game on Netflix last night. This is a show Mike would have liked. I email Jean R. about it. Her husband is English and might enjoy the show. It also deals with problems between industrialists and workers, a subject Jean will love.
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