Friday, July 24, 2020

Suck It Up Buttercup!



My silent mantra in recent days has been Suck it up Buttercup!
I'll spare you the details.
As my sister Donnie frequently reminds me, "It's all good!"
And it is.  Things could much more challenging.


Buttercups
Reykjavík, Iceland
June 12, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




I've been offsetting "Suck it up Buttercup" all week
with little prayers of gratitude for things that are going well.

But a little snark and exasperation crept into that gratitude this afternoon, as in
"Thank you for the strength to remove these extremely tight coverings
from our couch so I can wash them after Terry spilled beer on them."

Let's not even get into why he was balancing a can of beer
on one of the fitted pillows forming the back of one of our white couches.


Stripped Couch Pieces
Aurora, Colorado, USA
July 23, 2020
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



It was an accident that happened when I passed him a board game
that I wanted to donate (get rid of).
I've been tearing through the house à la Marie Kondo all week.
Terry wasn't sure that he wanted to part with it,
even though we've had it some fifteen years and have never played it.
Let's just say, "No joy was sparked," as the beer toppled.






I'm cutting Terry a little slack, though,
because he's been dizzy for two days and wondering if he has Covid-19.
He considered going for a test today while I was out shopping for groceries.

I'm so glad he didn't.
He was going to go to the same testing center I went to weeks ago,
the one at which a PPE-garbed nurse said, "Oh, we can't test you.
We only test essential workers and members of our clinic.
You need to go another site ... ."

Suck it up Buttercup.
Thank you for giving me a kind voice to sweetly remind Terry
that that's the center I went to weeks ago and called him from in tears
when they wouldn't test me and I was too sick to drive to another site.

But it's all good!  
I'm drinking a glass of wine while I wait for the couch coverings to gently wash,
and Terry is watching the Return of Baseball downstairs.

Suck it up Buttercup.
Thank you for Dr. Fauci throwing the first pitch on Opening Day.
He is my hero, even if, as one headline said, 
"Dr. Anthony Fauci's 1st Pitch Socially Distances From Strike Zone." 

Couch coverings in the dryer on delicate low heat.
Second glass of wine poured.
Dinner underway.
Suck it up Buttercup.
Thank you that I can hop up and make dinner.
The time might come when I can't and would wish I could.
And thank you for my telling myself, "Don't go there!"
when I began to wonder how a can of beer goes with two days of dizzy. 

"What's up?" Terry asks as he comes upstairs.
This means one of two things or both:
"I'm hungry" and/or the baseball game is not much fun.

"I'm making dinner.  What happened with the baseball game?"

"Rain delay.  How's your post coming?"

"I'm having great fun writing about couch coverings and spilled beer."

"Beer? ... That was ginger ale."

Oops.
Thank you for gently reminding me that
Terry isn't the only one who sometimes doesn't listen.

Dinner done.  Dishes done.  Terry's sleeping.
Tomorrow morning I'll suck it up Buttercup
as I steam iron the couch components and wrestle them back on the couch
if they finish drying on the banister overnight.
Delicate low heat in the dryer wasn't getting the job done.

And I'll drive Terry to our doctor's office if he's still dizzy.
It's highly unlikely that it's Covid-19.
Fingers crossed 🤞 that he jiggled a crystal loose in his inner ear
while playing pickleball or something else easily remedied.

And now I'm going to finish off a rare third glass of wine
and go play with my latest jigsaw puzzle.
I've completed the easy part, the cottonwood tree.
All that's left is about 600 pieces of red sandstone cliff,
truly a pleasure for this geologist.  I find it very calming.


In the Works
Aurora, Colorado, USA
July 21, 2020
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Sometimes you can have an extra busy week
when your mantra is "Suck it up Buttercup!" as you power through.
It helps to be grateful for the things that are going well,
like health and strength and energy and a loving, appreciative husband,
even when he balances a can of ginger ale on a couch pillow.






Till next time ~
Fundy Blue


On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




    



27 comments:

  1. Funny writing! I LOVE white paint, white furniture and they aren't forgiving. But you have to admit the whole series of events that led to the spill is funny.

    Teresa

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    1. Thanks, Teresa! I'm so glad you found this funny. Every so often I attempt a funny post, but it's not my strong suit. All the best to you! Take care!

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  2. That looks like one tough puzzle.

    Hopefully Terry doesn't have it and doesn't need to get tested.

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    1. Thanks, Diane! Terry is feeling slightly better, and we're seeing how it goes. Sadly, we're living in a reality where everything is colored by Coronavirus worries. The puzzle is tough, but I like that because it absorbs me. My brother is doing one which is a circle that spreads out into a rectangle. It is one consistent silver grey color. Ugh! I hope he doesn't decide to pass his "Death Star" on to me. Have a great weekend!

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  3. Oh, the perils of white furniture! I hope Terry's dizziness is just a touch of vertigo too. Wine and jigsaw puzzles -- they'll get you through! Hang in there, Louise!

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    1. Thanks, Debra! I'm ignoring the covers decorating the banister. Maybe tomorrow ~ LOL!

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  4. Well, at least a good story came out of the gingerale spill, Louise. I suffered for a couple years with some balance issues - I began falling (more than usual) while skiing one winter. That spring, I suffered a terrible bout of vertigo while we were vacationing in CA. It lasted 2-3 days - I knew what was happening because a good friend has had some spells. After that, still some dizziness when I would turn my head quickly or look up/down. A few months passed and then another bout of vertigo (much shorter). My DR thought my oxygen levels were too low, so prescribed oxygen at night. This didn't solve the problem, and I managed to fall while taking a walk. That sent me to a physical therapist who DID solve the problem with balance exercises. I haven't had issues for over a year now. I ski again and hike. I hope Terry can get to the bottom of his. It's scary because if it worsens, you really feel like you can't drive or do any sports requiring balance.

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    1. Thanks for sharing your experiences, Barb. Your comment was informative and appreciated. I'm glad that you worked through your dizziness problem. Vertigo is flat out miserable. I had it myself a few years ago, and it turned out to be a loose crystal in my inner ear. It was scary. I thought I might have brain cancer, but my reassuring doctor prescribed some exercises that solved the problem quickly. So, fingers crossed, we'll see how it goes for Terry. It makes me happy to think of you hiking and skiing in your gorgeous mountains. Take care, and thanks for visiting!

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  5. Enjoyed the read Louise, it's hard to think of things that are going right when so much more is wrong.....I'm sure we'll make it.
    Enjoy your weekend,

    Yvonne.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Yvonne! I am finding that expressing gratitude is a positive force, even if it is for something as simple and ordinary as washing dishes or making a bed. Every day is a gift, and I must not take that gift for granted. I hope you are doing well, my friend. Take care!

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  6. Hey! You know I love Dr. Fauci too! And his pitch was just AWFUL but I am glad it was, that meant he didn't practice it, he was too busy trying to look after this country and I for one, am very GRATEFUL.

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    1. Hi, Kay! I love Anthony Fauci even more because of his awful pitch. I am grateful for all he is doing for our country as well. He is a national treasure! Take care, my friend!

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  7. As one who has never spilled beer... well maybe once... or twice, or...

    The whole time I read this, I kept thinking not suck it up, but build it up, as in that old song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNwFDjTOI0w

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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    Replies
    1. LOL ~ The moment I read the words "build me up'" the song lodged in my brain as a giant brain worm. Thanks for the link, because I got a kick out of the video which I hadn't seen. All the best, Jeff!

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  8. Terry I hope you don't need the test, I hd to almost beg the local doctor ( he is not our normal G P ) to give me a test, he was insisting we drive 40 minutes to our own GP, when I was coughing NON STGP, day and night, slight fever and very sore throat. You would think the test kit and protective gear comers out of their own money. Stay calm, all good things come out in the wash!!!

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    1. I hope you had a happy birthday, Jean. I left a message on your Facebook home. And I hope those miserable symptoms are gone. It's no fun to cough after a chest procedure! The testing situation is maddening. If you're rich and famous, no problem at all, you can get the test whenever you want and have results in a few hours or less. You've got my number: stay calm. LOL I've always been high strung and excitable. But I blow over quickly like a summer squall. Hugs to you and Hugh!

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  9. That puzzle sure doesn't look like an easy one. The part that is left anyway.

    haha well it is good you don't take the mantra literally. You might have tried to suck up the "beer"

    We have to keep on keeping on indeed. Always can be worse, doesn't make things better though sometimes, but suck it up and keep going.

    Hopefully no covid for him and just an ear thing or something that goes away.

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    1. Thanks, Pat. 🤞 Fingers still crossed, as he remains a little woozy. We're in a wait-and-see mode. I'm still in a "Suck it up Buttercup" mode ~ LOL. btw I'm really enjoying your Instagram shares. Take care, my friend!

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  10. I love your mantra Louise, I need that mantra these days...hectic hectic hectic...I love that jigsaw puzzle! And honestly, it's a normal day when I pour a third glass of wine! ;) Oh I just got my NB medicare card, it has a photo of The Rocks on it! How neat!! :)

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    1. Hi, Rain! It's so good to see your happy face, my friend! You are kind to visit me when I am behind on visiting you! My world has been crazy too! I am really sucking it up Buttercup. Today, no lie, I have been working for at least 15 hours on a blog post on writing teacher's guides for children's books. I am wiped out, and I am not finished! 😱 And I've had zero glasses of wine. 😭 Terry has been giving me hugs and putting plates of food in front of me. Since the end of my post is in sight, I'm going to crawl off to bed. Best wishes to you and Alex! Take care!

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  11. I also like the white furniture, especially the pillowcases.
    How to get around so that the white cloth always looks white as new, I soak the cloth with warm water rather hot mixed with detergent and a pinch of salt.
    Wait until it is cold and then washed. Hopefully useful experience. Greetings from Indonesia.

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    1. Thanks for your helpful comment, Himawan Sant! I'm saving your stain-removing method for future use. And thanks for your greetings from Indonesia. Several members of my family have lived there for a time (Jakarta and Surabaya). They all loved your people and country. I am determined to visit in the future. Please stay safe and healthy during this difficult time.

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  12. Oh Buttercup what a funny post! I know sometimes it is hard not to go completely mad with the demands of this virus. But you are handling it like a champ. ARen’t you grateful that Terry is around? I feel sorry for the people who live alone and have their social circles limited. This weekend I ventured on a trip (the first since March) to my son’s. It was so nice to have one weekend where I didn’t hear any news at all and didn’t talk about how bad life is with Covid. It felt so normal. Will we ever see that kind of normal again? Hope your covers turn out great. Hugs,

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    1. Hi, Peggy! It's wonderful to see you. I'm glad that you had a chance to visit your son. I know how much you love your family, and this virus keeping families separate is a cruel reality during this Time of Covid. I've been Facetiming with my family, and thank God I can, but it's a poor substitute for a big bearhug from the people I love. I'm so glad you found my post funny. Writing humor is hard for me ~ I'd rather do a term paper ~ LOL! I have a good sense of humor, but it's not a mainstream humor (as Terry frequently points out). And Yes, I'm beyond grateful to have Terry with me. He is a magnificent human being. Hugs to you and Don! Please stay safe and healthy!

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  13. I've been sucking it up, buttercup for the better part of the year. It's been a trying one, that's for sure. I'm impressed that you have a white couch in the first place. I'd be in constant panic worrying about all of the dirt it would show.

    I hope Terry is feeling better now. I have to get tested next month, 2 days before surgery and I am more worried about the Covid test than I am my surgery LOL.

    Have a great week, Louise!

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    1. Covid colors everything, doesn't it? LOL ~ What else are you going to do but laugh? Terry is feeling better. Good luck with your test and surgery ~ Neither sounds like fun, but one step at a time is how we walk through this time. Take care! Sending a big hug your way, Theresa!

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