Six Days

My alarm clock woke me at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. As I walked past my second story windows, I couldn't help but notice that more snow was gently swirling to the white-coated ground below. I tried not to worry about the driving conditions that I might face when it was time to take 'A' to the oral surgeon. Her appointment was for 9:45. In good conditions it's a 15 minute drive. I told her we'd be leaving at 9 a.m. I was anticipating her usual stall tactics, her apprehension, nerves, poor driving conditions, you name it. I was a bit on edge about this all happening successfully. We did manage to leave the house on time. Driving was slightly unnerving. Nugent Stretch was particularly horrendous. It was unlike Rockport to leave the main roads so poorly tended. Well, tight budget, poor economy. What ever excuse. We arrived safely and 'A's surgery to extract her two lower wisdom teeth went well. We were out of the oral surgeon's office within an hour and back on the slick roads. I stopped at our local pharmacy to drop off the three prescriptions for 'A'. they didn't have one of them but called it in to their Gloucester store. Great, I'd have to head back to Gloucester in the lousy weather. I dropped a very groggy and unhappy 'A' off at our house, leaving her to my mom's care, while I headed back to the local pharmacy and then to Gloucester. What relief when I got back home thinking I was off the roads for the rest of the storm. Until 'A' needed to take one of the liquid meds and the store had fail to include the dosage spoon. Back out again. This time the roads were like ice. The plow had scraped nearly down to the pavement, nearly, and there was no salt or sand. I had one of those 'oh please just keep moving' moments as I headed back up the Main Street hill and slid around the corner of our street!

More shoveling.

Remarkably 'A' seemed rather perky on Thursday and she even went with me to pick up suitably soft foods from IGA. It couldn't be this easy could it?

Nope. Thursday night started the 'meds are making me sick'. No doubt between Percocet, Penicillin, and some anti-swelling pills, and very, very, little to eat. No rest until 12:30 at night.

Friday was not much better, with 'A' spending most of the day acting miserably. Meanwhile, I had three sets of keys to finish up ready to ship on Monday AND a call from our local doctor with the rebuilt by me, reed organ. The office waiting room roof had leaked all over the organ. Yes, I made an office call and found the organ thoroughly soaked. Groups of keys moved, invisibly interconnected, like wave swells. Felts were dripping wet. Stop knobs were frozen in place. The case was marred with the ghosts of water droplets and runs. I dried what I could and lubricated some steel parts against rusting. Leaving the case opened up, I told the doctor to leave a fan running and circulating air around and through the organ. I feared it was irreparably damaged and said I'd be back on Monday to check 'the patient'.

Work, work, work and wait on a miserable and irritable 'A'. Saturday was a blur. With the exception of an email from THAT ex! Stupid. Copied and dropped it off at the police station and forwarded a copy to J at WHOA. Wish I had as much free time as THAT guy to bother attempting to annoy someone who has better things to do than even think of me!

Sunday a day of rest? Not this week. In the morning I was working in the shop, finishing up keys. And since 'A' was feeling up to it, I took her for a ride around and to buy a jigsaw puzzle at Tuck's. It was getting to the point that I had to smile and enjoy the few and far between pleasant moments available with her.

The boxes were loaded in the truck and I headed out to ship them on Monday morning. Then I stopped at the bank and followed that with a trip to check on my organ 'patient'. The organ had made a remarkable recovery! It will still need most of the felts and leathers replaced, but the bellows are fine. The keys have unwarped nicely and neatly and they all function of their own! The stop knobs move freely! I told the docotr that I'd write up a work order and have it to him in a couple days.

If only things with 'A' were going so easily! She had a rough day and chose to share it with me. Tonight, though she made great leaps to eating Spaghetti-O's and a bit of deli ham. Of course, she's not taking any meds any more and she's not as nauseous. She quit taking the antibiotic with a tentative okay from the oral surgeon's office. Oh yeah, Mr. Snowmanaround the house had a rough day, too. He lost his head today over the 40°F weather.

And now full circle. I hear I'll be waking up to swirling snow in the morning.