My Weblog

Tuesday, no tacos..............

It's perfectly okay with me for there to be no tacos. I really only like the carne asada tacos from the little Mexican place on the corner, about 4 blocks away and they are closed.

Another day has passed and still no e-mail approving my request for "emergency medical leave". What a fool I was to think they'd actually respond in 24 hours as promised. I guess I will go on my boss's say-so.................

I worked for hours yesterday on tax returns. I have a stack of stuff from various clients on my dining room table. I'm not in a hurry to get into any of them. I'm waiting for any virus stuff to die before I touch 'em. But I have some that have sufficiently aged to be "safe" according to what we are being told. I had 2 that I had input that just required one or two things. I got those taken care of--one is printed and the other STILL needs an okay on one item. Then I set to work on another one. This particular client is very well organized. I rarely see him. We drop off and return from under my door mat. That one is done & printed and just needs my signature as preparer and attaching the W-2s.

Took on another from an elderly couple. This gentleman is normally well organized as well. He and his wife must have invested steadily years ago. They are living a good life now. However, I have to wade through a bunch of statements from companies from whom they receive interest and dividends. AND then there are a bunch of statements from whom they are receiving mandatory IRA distributions.That tends to be a PITA. This year they did a major stock sell off. Oh, my dear Lord--I spent hours and hours creating a 5-page list of stocks sold, the date they were acquired, the date they were sold, the amount paid for them, and the amount for which they sold. I thought I'd lose my mind just typing it up. However, when I got that all done, I found my totals didn't quite match those from the stock broker. So I had to print those 5 pages and copy the relevant pages from the brokerage firm, and match up every date and amount I'd just spent about 5 hours typing up. Tedious work and requiring a whole lot of patience. But it's done. I still need to print it and attach the information documents to verify their withholding. I have certainly earned my fee and more on this one.

So, today I will try to hammer together completed packages of all that. The worst of it is I'm using my last ream of paper! And Amazon won't promise delivery on more paper til April 20, 2020.

I do not want to be waiting for paper til the end of April so I'm going to have to order from Office Depot. Remember, we learned during my search for a place to send a fax, we learned you can't go inside their store. They are doing only pickup or delivery..............

 

Things Just Don't Change Much #2

Good Lord! It's like punching clouds.............. I filed everything for the store's Emergency Medical Leave thing several days ago. I was supposed to receive an e-mailed response within 24 hours. In that I haven't received a response, I called the store.  I spoke to the person to whom I was directed to fax the doctor's letter. I was told this was the proper person by the store manager several days ago. The person to whom I was directed stated she knew nothing about it and I'd have to speak to the store manager. She also stated the store manager was standing right there and she would know why I was calling.

Got connected to the Store Manager who again acted like she had no idea who I am. (I'm thinking maybe this is just her phone manner........) In any case she says I've been approved to stay home for just 2 weeks. At the end of that time, my request will be re-evaluated considering how the store is doing because they are very short-staffed. According to her, I should have received a notification saying I'm approved (but I have not received anything).

I find this objectionable. The company came out with drums beating and pipers piping about how they were extending the original 2 weeks paid leave to 4 weeks. Now apparently it is contingent not on whether or not I meet the criteria but rather on "how the store is doing". The criterion I met is being high risk. I am high risk in numerous ways: 1) I am 70 years old; 2) I have high blood pressure for which I take medication daily; 3) I have had a heart attack with resultant damage and take daily heart medication; 4) I have an auto-immune disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis; and 5) I have respiratory problems for which I use a daily maintenance medication and also carry a rescue inhaler and resort to a nebulizer as needed. Considering all that, what do you think the chances are that I will be less high risk in two weeks? Almost 7 years after the heart attack, is my heart suddenly going to "heal"? Am I going to get younger? Will my lungs suddenly become like new again, minus a divine intervention? And so on..........I'm sure you get my point.

Also, I was unable to find out exactly when the 2 weeks begin and end. She mumbled something about Saturday. Which Saturday? I can only hope the much-awaited e-mail response will disclose this information.

Chocolate helps............

When sheltering at home, it is important to keep one's spirits up. A good batch of brownies will help. I made brownies today from scratch and they are so good they are scandalous. (It is against the rules, though, to count fat grams.) They are simple to make and they are very moist. To my palate, nothing is nastier than a dry, cakey brownie. I've been known to underbake them. I also usually burn myself trying to seal in all the steam that escapes when they come out of the oven with a tight wrapping of aluminum foil. Not necessary with these.

This is not my recipe. It comes from a recipe book called Dining on a Dime. There are only 5 ingredients.

1 c. melted butter

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. cocoa

4 eggs

1 c. flour

You just mix everything together, pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Then you eat as many as you can without a gall bladder attack IF your arteries are clean as a whistle or IF you just don't care a whole lot about your arteries. However, before you make these, check your stash of goods. Even with my stash it's hard to let go of 2 sticks of butter and 4 eggs.

If you are ready to throttle each and every one of your whiny kids, or frequently thinking of an old fashioned method of social distancing known as d-i-v-o-r-c-e every time you see your husband lolling in his easy chair mumbling about how he wishes he could just go somewhere, try making some of these. They're bound to calm the troubled waters for a few minutes. You might even be able to eat one one (or two) yourself. Worse come to worse, if you make enough noise in the kitchen, maybe the family will leave you alone for a few minutes for fear you'll ask them to do dishes.

 

Venturing out............

Yesterday, via the internet, I submitted the form requesting the "medical leave" my employer is offering. On having received the letter from my doctor (after 3 phone calls and 2 visits and an abortive digital consultation with a teladoc"), I called the store to let them know of this achievement. I asked to be connected to my manager but she was not there. I asked to be connected to the Assistant Store Manager to whom my manager reports (chain of command observed, check). He also was not there. I asked to be connected to the "manager of the day". That turned out to be the Store Manager. Either she was having that dulled mid afternoon thing or she just didn't know who  I was for a while. Once that clicked, I was informed there was a form I needed to fill out. Why didn't my manager tell me that several days ago? Or why hadn't my manager's manager informed me a day earlier. Okay, well whatever.

I immediately tracked down said form. it was completed and submitted on 3/27/20. The next problem to solve was how to go about submitting the doc's letter. The stupid thing on my end is that the printer operates on some version of wifi which makes it impossible to scan and fax or scan and e-mail a document. So, my mission for today was to find a place that would fax the darned thing. First i tried Office Max/Office Depot. They are doing only curbside pickup. You can't go in their store and, obviously, the fax is inside. Okay, no go there.

Next, I remembered that there was a mailbox place close to my deceased husband's office so I tried to find a phone # for them. I think they are closed, possibly permanently.

Next I tried a company called Postal Annex. The closest facility is 10 miles from the house. That didn't seem a great idea.

Finally i started googling. I discovered that UPS has places that will send a fax for you, they were open today til 3PM and it was 2:17 when I called and confirmed I was on my way. Turns out they are in the same little strip mall where Trader Joe's is. So, at 2:38PM my doctor's letter was faxed to the store. Tomorrow I will try to call and confirm that all the pieces of the puzzle are now in place. Please, Lord.

I thought about going to Trader Joe's just to pick up a couple of things, but there was a line of about 20 people outside the store. It was nothing like that the other day when I went there. Perhaps the line was a result of today being Saturday........ Anyway, it was not urgent that I get those few things so I came home, feeling victorious.

Did they just forget?

I just checked. In my area, there are no "weekly specials" at Smart & Final, Smith's, or Sprouts. I really don't think it's forgetfulness. I think it is that they don't have enough of anything to justify advertising a "special".

Clark County, Nevada now has 443 corona virus cases, up almost an hundred from yesterday. And yesterday was up 115 from the day before. What worried me now is that the number of cases just continues to grow while we are showing 10 deaths and not a single recovery. Reading that there have been NO recoveries is dismal. First, because that means more of my fellow desert dwellers are suffering. And, second, if recovery really does take this long,  I wonder how long it will be before there are no more hospital beds available.

In early April, 2015, I spent 4 days in one of our local hospitals on a gurney in a corridor. No, there was no corona virus then, just plenty of sick people. I can confirm for you it was miserable. But at least it was only 4 days. I feel for anyone who has to be sick under these conditions.

Maybe just maybe..............

I actually just received a phone call from my doctor's office. Will wonders never cease? Hopefully I will have a letter in my hand by tomorrow morning. In the meantime, the cases in the US have done an uptick by more than 10,000 since this morning (per the Johns Hopkins website) and the cases in Clark County, Nevada have increased by about 115. I think the decision to stay at home makes sense. Now, just trusting the Lord that I haven't already been exposed...............

Where there's a will..............

So, I called my doctor's office this morning. I sat on hold for 13 minutes only to be told the person I was holding for was currently unavailable & would call me back. I am not holding my breath. This person seems to have a firm grip on the wrong end of the stick anyway. Last night when I realized who had called I just immediately called the number back. This morning I checked the message. This person seems to think I am looking for "a sick note so I can return to work". On the contrary, I want a note that says I am high risk to become sick and should stay away from work. Quite a difference, wouldn't you say?

Anyway, I have access to this service called Teladoc. You sign up on line. A doctor calls you. He/she asks symptoms, history, etc. and may prescribe or provide documentation for your employer. It is covered under my insurance, $0 co-pay. It all sounds great except that the response in form of a message I just got from the doc with whom I spoke simply says I have asthma. That will not work, I am afraid. I need something which says "this patient should be considered high/risk for the corona virus". The message will be going to hardware store managers, not clinicians. Sent back a note requesting this again. I will say on the positive side that the return call from the doctor was within 10 minutes of my request, and her follow-up note within 5 minutes. If only it had said what I need it to...............

So, finally, I have called out for the day. I wanted to show up waving a piece of paper that met the requirements for the paid leave, but I'm down to less than 4 hours to get that and losing confidence. I'm also unable to think of any alternative options. I am beyond frustrated. However, I am quite sure I don't belong in a position where I am 2 feet from any member of the general public who has the bad judgement to come to a hardware store, given the risk, to buy a pack of screws or new ceiling fans.

 

Things just don't change much...........

I worked today. That is something I really hoped I would not have to do, but the doctor did not come through for me. Again, no change, as regards that medical practice--the back office stinks, as always. Two days ago I called and left a message for the doctor. I would have preferred to speak to his assistant, but, given the phone system there, that was the stuff of which dreams are made. So, today I composed a note to the doctor and composed a note he could use to verify that I am high risk as regards the corona virus. i then drove there and left the envelope with the receptionist. At 5:21 as I was on my break, driving back from picking up a cup of coffee, my cell phone rang. I was driving and the phone was wedged in my pants pocket so I did not get to it in time. At 5:23 (yes, the times are exact with the clock in my van), I called back and was connected, not with the doctor on duty, but with an answering service and told the office was closed for the night. I am not amused.

I did let my manager know that I am attempting to meet the requirements for the paid time off the company is offering to high risk employees. So, at least she is forewarned. I told her about my troubles with my doctor's office and she even had a suggestion to facilitate matters. I am scheduled to work a late shift again tomorrow night. I really hope things come together tomorrow morning so that I do not have to do that. We shall see.............

I was allowed to work in Lumber the whole shift tonight which was a relief. There wasn't much of a rush there. I don't know if it was busy up front or not, but it seemed less so than the last day I worked. I hope the honey-doers have decided their crap purchases are much less essential.

Per the website, the company is taking great care to keep its employees and shoppers safe. Yeah, well. They have now created a block on the floor by outlining a square with red tape right by the register. They have then measured 6 feet back and made a red "X". This apparently tells the next shopper where he/she should stand to achieve "social distancing". But, it's still just 2 feet from the current customer's mouth to my face (one of my fellow employees measured it).This certainly doesn't make me feel all safe and secure.

They ARE closing about an hour and a half earlier. But this is so we, the employees can clean. We can wipe down registers, counters, etc. However, everything we would clean in this nightly clean has had a multitude of opportunities to contaminate us during the entire rest of our shifts. Beyond that, they have given us Fabuloso with which to clean everything. It is known to clean grease, dirt, and grime, but nowhere does it claim to be a disinfectant. This also does not make me feel safe and secure. Furthermore, it causes me to doubt the commitment to employee/customer safety by the person who chose this as what we should use for our cleaning efforts.

They had hand sanitizer by every register. However, though they were large bottles, they are all almost empty. They have sold off all the stock they had to make a buck, saving none for the employees.............

***Edited to add: I have since been told that the purple floral scented liquid being used for cleaning is some special concoction they've ordered, not Fabuloso, and really IS a disinfectant. Glory be!

I went out...........

I feel very brave. I went first to 7-11, trying to get cigarettes. Managed to get half a carton. Then I went to Starbucks. From there I went to Trader Joe's. I spent several hours online today trying to arrange a pick up at Smith's or a delivery from Smart & Final or Walmart. No one had available times for either pickup or delivery. To me, Trader Joe's was the next best option. It's a small store which meant  I could walk around the store without my legs giving out. And I knew I might not be able to get everything I wanted, but, at least, I'd be able to get some easy to cook food. I appreciate their frozen foods because they are not full of nasty stuff like high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and unhealthy hydrogenated fats.

I wore gloves. Before I got out of the van, on arriving home, I wiped down my coffee container and anything else I had touched with the gloves with a precious disinfectant wipe. I made sure to wipe down the steering wheel and the gear shift as well. I came inside and peeled off the gloves and trashed them. I even sanitized my debit card because I had to hand it to the person at the window at Starbuck's. Shortly I'll go out and get my bags of food. My plan is to wipe down everything with a bleach solution. I have no idea who may have touched or coughed on those packages.....

Trader Joe's even had an employee at the door, regulating traffic. Thus, there was room to shop without being too close to anyone. I really appreciated that and made sure I thanked that gentleman.

The company for which I work has announced that employees can get up to 14 paid days off if they qualify. One of the categories for qualifying is being high risk. I am quite sure I qualify. I am a senior citizen, I have had a heart attack, I have high blood pressure, and I'm currently being treated for breathing/lung difficulties as well as an auto-immune disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I called and left a message for my doctor asking for something from him documenting all that. Left my e-mail and phone number. We'll see how that goes..........

In many ways I wonder if asking for this time off isn't a failure of faith. And yet, I know that God requires us to use wisdom in these things. It seems to me that staying home is the wisest alternative for me. We'll see what the doctor has to say about that.

i keep trying...........

to find a way to do better with my home. Some jobs are just SO difficult--for example those that require climbing. The act of trying to climb, by itself, is very hard, but my problems with balance make me doubt my sanity about the time I'm more than about 10 inches off the floor. I went weeks too long on changing the filter on the forced air intake. I started trying to give the shelves in the dining room weeks ago--I'm still NOT done. I tried just stepping up on a step stool. No good--it was the climb that did me in. I didn't have anything to grab onto that I was sure of. I didn't want to try to grab a glass door or shelf to help pull myself up. I was concerned they'd break or give in some other way and I'd come crashing down. And, I really wanted to work from the top down, not just randomly attack a shelf here or there.

Last night I got disgusted with the whole thing and made up my mind that somehow I was going to win. First I carried out a 2-step step stool that has a low railing on it. That low railing was enough to get me onto the lowest step, but I couldn't use it to make it to the second step. Finally I dragged my little Rubbermaid step stool over along with a dining chair and made it to where I needed to be--standing on the seat of the chair. The mirror on the back as well as the shelf have been cleaned. It looks so nice. Now, when I get to the last unit, I will know how to get it taken care of without being stuck trying to figure it out.

There are some jobs I don't do just because, in my mind, they are just too nasty to attempt bare-handed. I lucked onto some disposable gloves at the store yesterday. I wore them for most of my shift. But, I got two boxes, so I'm going to use some for those "nasty" jobs. Right now, I'm putting off (for just a few minutes) cleaning the Dyson. It has 3 filters to clean. They're full of dirt and dog hair. Ugh! Gloves called for.