Columbiana

This morning, Doug was here in the livingroom looking at video of the train derailment in Ohio. He had not been following the news, Very close to where his mom and sister live (10 miles east in Pennsylvania) and on the way to where his grandmother used to live (10 miles west/north west in Columbiana, OH).  

East Palestine is a town we've visited often, very cute place. I feel horrible for everything that is happening there. It is heartbreaking.  I think Doug was on a stiff nostalgia bender looking at videos from the town, perspectives of streets he's driven down for years. I've been thinking a lot about the area too. 

We used to go to visit his grandmother with his dad back in the day, and invariably we'd take her out to Das Dutch Haus for dinner. It was always such a treat for her. Diabetes, be damned! So much good and delicious carbs. And desserts. Amazing desserts. 

Most of the staff are Mennonite, I don't think anyone's faking it, it may be a prerequisite for hire to be part of the tribe, as it were. Blue dresses and bonnets on the ladies, black pants, blue shirts on the men. "Homecooked" everything (although the reviews insist everything comes out of a can, Doug's dad always said that was a damn lie). The reviews on Tripadvisor are a little harsh, and everyone keeps calling them Amish, but the Amish wouldn't work at a restaurant, if they were for real Amish. Doug says they're Mennonites. So duh, you stupids.

When his grandmother died, we stayed at the Inn on the "campus" where the restaurant and shops are. The hotel was very nice, a little expensive. But nice. Really the only option in town. Eastern Ohio isn't a hotel booker's paradise. Heck, Western Pennsylvania never was either, until they started putting in this giant fracking/cracker plant right by where Doug grew up, and the hotel boom for long term rentals (Home2Suites, MyPlace etc) happened to accommodate all the construction workers and dudes who get assigned to the plant for long stretches of time, and then they go home. 

When his dad died, after the funeral we went over to Columbiana to her grave, to say hi, and visit. Doug's dad was always very into taking us around Eastern Ohio to gravesites of his family. In fact, he did some research and found a cemetery with his family name, and went there every couple months and cleaned, trimmed bushes, tidied up trash and discarded plant containers that people just left around. Then he found out same last name, not his family. He'd been kindly maintaining plots there for years. 

I didn't write down where the "real" family plots are. Doug wasn't really interested in this "morbid fascination" with going to the cemetery that his dad was into. He doesn't get it, which to me is a little weird. Like, know where your people are. And this was very important to his dad. 

After we left the cemetery in Columbiana, he was very sad. This was a place he'd been coming to his whole life. All the time. To come see grandma. As we drove away, he said he'd probably never be back to this little town, this was it. And we haven't been back since. Anyway. It hasn't been that long since Gary passed, and we made our last visit to Columbiana, maybe we'll go back some other time when we are up to see Doug's mom. It is really not that far.

While thinking on family and things, he decided this morning to go visit his aunt and help her out. She'd called a couple weeks ago and asked for some help.  She said she has a shelf in the bathroom that collapsed. She never did get her dishwasher replaced, the county is getting aggressive (dude, it's been over a year I'm so surprised they haven't sent in a Hazmat team yet!) 

Doug told her he'd come over when he had time. This morning he decided he had time. He asked me if I wanted to come with (not reallyyyyyyy), and I reminded him that we were getting together with B and the Beau (name of my new indie band). He said I'm off the hook if I wanted to still connect with them. After all, we did make plans. That'd be shabby to text her as she's on the way here to say "ugh, no."

Text sent, new location registered. Doug went at about 12:30, and I told him hey - there's a buffalo wing restaurant right near her house, so feel free to bring back 100, okay? 

I vacuumed - something I've been thinking of doing for weeks, as you know. Cleaned the living room, scrubbed the top of the stove (long overdue). The dishwasher ran, twice. When you don't have dishwasher tabs to run a cycle, things build up. And I put the grates from the stove in for an hour wash. Easier than scrubbing. Things look much nicer. 

B and the Beau came over around 1:30, we had a lovely visit for about two hours. Absolutely lovely. He's a resident at the hospital where she works, and they are super cute together. We had a great chat, and while it wasn't the brewery it was still very nice. They were going to DC to celebrate her brother's pandemic 40th birthday (he's 42 now) with an actual celebration, dinner, and a group attending Drunk Shakespeare. I told her about how we saw The Tempest, and I asked how the actors in this could get actually drunk in what looks to be a 90 minute run time. She said she'll keep me posted.

Doug got home from his aunt's and said that it went as well as it could have. He couldn't hang the shelf because she doesn't have hardware. So how did it fall down? She then changed the subject to no one at Home Depot could help her, they don't sell the hardware for that shelf and it is useless. blah blah blah. 

He helped clean up in the little back yard because she has a tree that has to be removed, and the tree removal company said they can't work in the yard unless all the detritus is moved out of the way, so, he got that all cleaned up. To the best of his ability. He said it is still a disaster over there, and he's amazed that after 18 months the city where she lives has not just actually shown up, thrown her out, cleaned the place out. Done. 

I'll try to go next time, and get a bead on the scene. 

In other news, tried to repot some plants today but my potting soil, which was in the shed, is all moldy and gross. I'll grab another bag when we're out tomorrow. I noticed today the tile/silicone in the bathroom that caused the leak and damage is cracked again, so ... I have to reach out to the property manager. I took pictures while cleaning the shower. I don't know what the material is, but, it is just cracked and peeling away from the wall. Ugh. 

Tomorrow we are going to a Valentine's Weekend event at a brewery we've been to a couple times. M&M are going to join us. They close for the winter when the farm stand shuts down for the season, but this is a special weekend event and should be fun. I'm looking forward to it!

No picture today - too busy to grab one. 

digits

exercise: 11/12 of the 250 steps. Missed the 9am hour. For sure got dedicated 10 somewhere in there with the cleaning and vacuuming. Lots of action today!

blood glucose
10am: 153
5:30pm: 143
10pm: 181

food:
coffee, water
2:30pm: metformin; 1/2 piece of chicken parm, a little bit of pasta, sauce. 🍷
6:45: 2 bowls of tuna casserole (tuna, noodles, peas, cream of mushroom soup)
7:30pm: metformin+jardiance