Since I was in the hospital, I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Or rather, getting back to sleep after I wake up in the middle of the wee hours or middle of the night. I’ve woken at 3, 4, 5, and one particularly bad night at 2:30 am. I have to get up to go to the bathroom, and when I get back to bed, I cannot fall asleep again, no matter what I try. A few nights I manage to doze off after a couple of hours only to be awakened again to go to the bathroom. UGH. I read or play iPad games if I’ve lain there for ages and cannot will myself back asleep. Now at least I’m on vacation and I can fall back asleep later, or take a nap.
Last night I was up at 1:30, then 4:30, then 6-something. Anders is also waking up earlier than normal, around 5 and struggling to get back to sleep, and he runs on much less sleep than I usually do. It’s the CORTISONE that’s causing my problems. Common side effect, and one I have to live with for the next 2 months while I gradually decrease the amount of tablets I’m taking. One of my colleagues told me about an acquaintance who uses cortisone as an upper, taking one before she goes out to party. Eeesh. And I’m taking mine at 8 am, and still being affected 18 or more hours later during the night.
Anders and I are both on vacation now for 3 weeks. We have no real plans and are not going anywhere, though of course I have a to-do list of small projects. Mostly cleaning out closets and drawers and cleaning sofa cushion covers and things like that. Boring but necessary. They’re all projects that I never get around to, so I will be very happy to get them done. One is taking down all the curtains, washing them and putting them back up which is a huge pain because most of them have those metal doohickeys that you pleat the curtains with before you stick the spikes in the tiny plastic holders on the curtain rod. I can’t remember the last time the curtains were washed, my bad.
You’d think I’d want to just lie around and do nothing but you’d be wrong. I seem to be genetically wired to want to get things done instead. Today I did 2 loads of laundry, and then I attacked all of the notebooks full of old financial papers that we have. I think there were about 10 of them, containing salary statements, tax papers, bank statements, etc. Most of them much older than we need to keep. All that stuff is digital nowadays, so we are no longer even getting paper copies of such statements. I saved a few things back 5 years, and piled up all the rest to shred. The pile is SO BIG it makes me laugh. It’s over a foot and a half high. I’ve already shredded and filled a big black garbage bag with about 8 bins of shred and the pile doesn’t even seem to be dented. I suspect I’ll fill about 4 of those big black bags before I’m done. Anders is already planning to go to the dump sometime soon, so I want to get all of the papers shredded for him to include in the load.
I went through 3 holders of appliance and electronic manuals as well, and pitched all the ones that were for stuff we have replaced over the years (refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine/dryer, freezer), and organized all the rest. Purging is so satisfying. So is shredding, even though it’s monotonous and the shredder is very screamy.
About an hour ago, I was sitting on the couch, and I was suddenly so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open. I thought about taking a 30-minute nap, but was afraid that would cause even more problems when I actually go to bed around 9:30-10 pm, so I jumped up and started doing things. Shredded another couple of bins worth, filled the dishwasher, took my pills, had some (very yummy sugar-free) ice cream, and now I’m writing this post.
Yesterday I facetimed with my brother and today I facetimed with my sister. All of us talk to each other now nearly every week. It’s so nice. Just keeping caught up on everyday stuff and what’s going on with ourselves, our spouses, our kids, our mom.
Tomorrow, no plans at all for me really, though Anders has a friend coming over to work on car stuff. I have to go pick up a package, and water the indoor plants, but those are my only to-do items. On Sunday, Karin might be coming home. We have to check her FBAR status, and she’s picking up all the camping stuff for next week when she goes to work at the Roskilde Music Festival again. I’ve put it all in the trunk of the car for her. Come next week, I have several appointments, including my first ever pedicure (with Karin Monday morning before she leaves), finally going to see Martin’s new apartment and get his (late!) US taxes dones, a followup with my colitis doctor, a massage (finally!), a physiotherapist appointment for my knee, and next weekend is the AIC Independence Day Party. After that, however, vacation stretches with very little planned. Though we have Karin’s birthday in the middle there, a visit from one of my second cousins, and a birthday/graduation party later.
It was rainy this morning, then cleared up for most of the afternoon. But by 4:30 it was cloudy again. I sat on the deck for a very short period and then watered outside. Our garden is blooming like crazy and everything looks so nice. It’s a pleasure just to walk around the yard and look at everything. Right now, the allium and honeysuckle are blooming. I have huge neon pink geraniums in all the pots. The rosebush out front is exploding with over 30 blossoms and the little one under the trellis is also blooming. The vegetable garden is going gangbusters as well, and I’ve already had to freeze two bags of snap peas as there are so many that I can’t possibly eat them fast enough. The tomato plants have shot up and are putting out fruit, and the onions, carrots, and potatoes are big and beautiful. Bumper crop!
It’s nearly 9 pm now, and I should be able to manage to stay awake until bedtime, after which I’m hoping I’ll sleep for a solid bunch of hours. Wish me luck!
Mood: tired but relaxed
Music: Drugdealer, Weyes Blood—Real Thing