Ach!

It's been a year of one damned thing (mostly expensive) after another with no time in between to recover. And, while I intended to be HERE more often, it just didn't happen. Seems like I was dancing as fast as I could and Facebook won out. Not enough time for FB and this thread, too. Missed you all.

And it's not over yet. My sister is still in hospital or rehab (currently rehab) for antibiotic therapy for osteomyelitis (serious infection of bone and bone marrow) and learning how to walk again and is looking at being under care for at least another three months, according to her doctor (with whom I wasn't able to speak until I returned to NH). I was able (thanks to my cousin needing to drive to Colby, WI) to hitch a ride to Milwaukee and get to visit her and assess the situation close at hand, meet my brother there for a few hours (he's five hours in the other direction -- first time the three of us sibs were in the same room since my mother's funeral), and get in a good visit with my 96-year-old great aunt.

My current One. More. Thing. is needing a root canal. Right after I returned from Milwaukee, I had an appointment for a crown. The tooth needed to be built up first, so the dentist put in a pin...which poked through into the canal and got sucked in. So...I get 60% off from the community health place I go, but I'll have to pay full rate ($1250) on the root canal at another facility. At first I had no pain or discomfort. Then it started sporadically aching last Saturday. By day before yesterday the pain was in full blast. I called to make sure I was on the list in case of a cancellation and got the original appointment rescheduled for this Thursday at 8 a.m. The pain calmed down...but now it's getting achy again.

So... I had no Thanksgiving to speak of and right now I have absolutely no Christmas spirit. December is just another month in a train of months, all of which were complicated. Maybe I'll feel a little more in the mood when I wrap a few gifts. I've received a couple cards, but feeling really blah about that. (Or maybe a bit guilty because I have no desire to send any.) Sang one seasonal song last week at the Press Room session. (Couldn't go last night because of pain and pain meds.) Didn't make much of a difference. Maybe next week's shanty sing will help -- and the following week's Voicearound.

Right now Christmas is taking up less than 1% of my thoughts...and I'm okay with that. I just have no interest this year and no desire to be interested. And I don't know if that should bother me or not.

Yeah, it's probably a bit of depression -- caused by too many things just hanging right now. Things that I can't do anything about anyway. And Trump, of course. Looming over everything.

I'd like to think things will change for the better once this year is over, but I'm not as optimistic as I usually am.

Ach!

Linn