The longest day

What a crazy weekend -- the new Juneteenth Federal holiday on Friday, followed by actual Juneteenth on Saturday, and then Father's Day and the longest day of the year on Sunday. I wonder how often the three days will coincide like this. Juneteenth is always on the 19th (though the Federal holiday will be on Friday or Monday if the 19th is a Saturday or Sunday) and the solstice can be on the 20th or the 21st, and Father's Day can be anywhere from the 15th to the 21st. So, many years all three special days will be intertwined. Guess we need to get used to this.

The kids and I didn't do anything to celebrate any of it. We'll have to figure out how to celebrate Juneteenth in future years -- this year there was just no time to plan. The Summer Solstice isn't a new holiday, of course, but I was likewise unprepared. Father's Day was muted because Rocket Boy is in St. Louis. Although we left a card for him when we visited, I should have sent him a present too, like the lovely gifts he sent me for Mother's Day. He reminded me of that when we talked, because he wanted to teach Teen B how to make spaetzle and gravy over Skype, and I threw a fit because spaetzle makes such a mess and I would have to clean it all up.

To soften the blow, I suggested he show the boys how to cut up and steam vegetables, which I could later add to fried rice for dinner. They did that, with much merriment, and the dinner turned out very tasty. Must remember how I did it this time: scramble three eggs in butter, set aside; briefly saute the steamed veggies (we had broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash) in more butter or oil and soy sauce; add 1 small container of Chinese restaurant rice that's been sitting in the fridge for a week, saute with the veggies and some sesame sauce and/or oil for 3-4 minutes, add the eggs back in, stir it all up, and serve. It made a LOT and we ate every bit. So great to make something the twins actually enjoyed.

Last week went OK, though I seem to feel my energy levels dropping with each day, even though the heat has eased off a little. Is that possible? Can my calcium levels be going up so fast I can feel them? On Thursday I drove to UCHealth in Aurora to meet my future surgeon and he ordered a bunch more blood tests, the results of which I looked at online today. My calcium is now 11.2 (last test it was 10.6, I think) and my parathyroid is 111, but I think the lab used a different scale on that one. But I'm feeling so tired and weird all the time. I want to get the surgery over with.

Some of the other lab results puzzled me. My chloride level was high, though that's probably because I was dehydrated due to the extreme heat (it was 100 degrees in Denver). My glucose level was 154, even though I'd had my usual, rather high-carb breakfast about two hours before. Normal would be 140 or less, but "prediabetes" is supposed to be 141 to 199. Diabetes starts at 200, and 154 is a long way from that. I was pleased. But the CBC, which was broken down into more detail than I'd ever seen, showed that I had too many eosinophils and monocytes, plus some immature granulocytes, which aren't good. I don't know if that has anything to do with anything. Just more numbers to puzzle over.

My new phone arrived, but I can't figure out how to set it up, so it languishes. This can't actually be that hard, can it? Is this an example of the high calcium side effect that makes you feel like you have Alzheimer's? I have no idea what to do. How do I get the information from the old phone onto the new one? They have different SIM cards, run on different networks. One problem is that I really really hate the new phone. I am, as we know, not a phone person, but it wasn't until I had to buy a new phone that I realized that I like my old phone and I do not want this gigantic clunky thing that arrived in a FedEx box. It's like twice the size of the old one! Enormous! Also, it doesn't have the same buttons as the old one, so I don't know how to use it. They're both Samsung Galaxies, but the old one was state of the art (or nearly) when I got it, and the new one is a stupid cheapo thing that I don't like. Did I say that already?

The twins, on the other hand, are in love with their cheapo Motorola phones, which they are now 100% addicted to, after what -- three weeks? I just realized you can't actually see the phones in this photo, but that's what they're doing (at Noodles, last night), playing on their stupid phones.

Today we ordered phone cases for all three phones. Teen A (in hat) is getting a black one, Teen B is getting a turquoise and gray one, and I am getting one that claims to be "violet" but looks more like a dark red. Whatever. I still hate my phone. Which hasn't even been charged yet.

I've been ordering a lot of things online recently, to the point where I wonder if I'm starting to have a problem. There are just so many things that I need. Well, or want. I did order the kids some new pajamas today, as well as a week ago -- the success of the pj's from a week ago led to the additional order today. The little darlings are growing out of the Carters pj's they've worn since birth, but they're not ready to switch to boxers or whatever it is boys wear when they grow out of Carters. So I tried "adult extra small" pj's from Hanna Andersson and unfortunately those fit pretty well (unfortunately because they're so friggin' expensive).

Pajamas are needed, phone cases are needed, but some of my other purchases, hmm. I keep telling myself these are early birthday presents. I'm not spending a LOT of money, but all that nickel and diming does add up eventually. I've been working my way through the mystery novels of Eleanor Taylor Bland, and I've bought everything the Bookworm had and read what the library owns, and now I'm reduced to buying used copies of the other books online. I ordered #9, #10, and #11, and am waiting for them to arrive. 

In addition, I've been buying things for my Barbies. I ordered some more tiny clothes from Etsy and also some baby carriers that one seller was offering. In this picture, the pretty green dress on the Skipper doll is new, as is the baby sling she's wearing, and also the little baby backpack that the boy next to her is wearing. They're about to take the babies on a walk, practicing for a scene in the mystery I'm writing. I know, I should be sewing doll clothes, not buying them. If I could just get the new machine threaded. If I could just stop being afraid of it.

I also, this weekend, ordered some more Barbie dolls -- used ones, through eBay. I have two Asian-ish Barbies, young-looking ones, who I have felt for a while needed parental guidance. So this weekend I finally bit the bullet and ordered them some folks. I hope they appreciate the gesture. The doll I wanted to be the mom is hard to get -- I've seen her advertised for as much as $40, plus shipping, which is ridiculous since the dolls cost $10 or less new. So I did some research and finally found a naked version of her on eBay for $15. It means I won't get the outfit and shoes she came in originally, but that doesn't matter because I have lots of clothes and shoes for her to wear.

I'm planning to take a break from online shopping now. I don't need any more dolls, it will take me a while to read the three books, I don't think anybody in the family needs any more clothes (including the Barbies). Well, the kids might need shorts. Anyway, I'll try to keep it under control.

OK, it's getting late, let's make some plans for the week.

• Book group. I finished the book (Anthill by E. O. Wilson) last night. We meet at Sally's on Tuesday and then we'll choose the next book.
  
• Classics Challenge 2021. Finished the 4th book and blogged about it; planning to start the 5th after I read one other book.
  
• Take the twins somewhere fun. They want to go swimming, but I just haven't felt up to it. Maybe this week. Not promising anything.
  
• Donate $$ to some organization. Decide who gets my $50 this month (other than Etsy, eBay, and various booksellers on AbeBooks).
• Health: Teen B gets his braces put on tomorrow! Ack! Also call about my bone scan.
  
• Food: Need to plan some meals. Stovetop pasta dishes, pancakes, casseroles -- soft stuff that Teen B can eat. Grocery shop maybe Tuesday or Wednesday.
  
• Exercise: Take a walk each evening, as I've been doing. This is going well.
  

I'm finding that with my energy levels so low, I really can only get a few things done each day. Mostly it's laundry, cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, shopping. So let's plan one "extra" thing for each day.

• Monday: Realistically, the braces are the only thing that will get done this day. Will also need to make jello, etc., and do all the usual stuff, like dishes and litter boxes.
  
• Tuesday: I finally bought some flowers for the front yard! But now I need to plant them. I don't know if Tuesday will be the right day -- it's supposed to be hot and windy. We'll see.
  
• Wednesday: Try to spend a little time writing. Figure out a way to drown out the twins. If they're not fighting, they're listening to TikTok or a YouTube video. And we're all in the same room. Should I try taking my laptop to the dining room?
  
• Thursday: Maybe, if twins feel like it, try going swimming.
  
• Friday: Try to spend a little time sewing. Either cut out the pattern or thread the machine. You can do it!
  
• Weekend: I don't know, see what didn't get done during the week. Don't plan too much.
  

 And that's about it. I'm dead tired and it's past 11:30 and I still have to take a shower. But then I can go to bed. The litter boxes and the dishes can wait until tomorrow.