a benedryl every 4 hours seems to do the trick on the itching.

Miley, the dog, has a bad cough and seems to be getting some relief from a quarter of a child's mucinex every 4 hours also.

We are falling apart over here in MD. only Bailey, the dog, is holding it together.

I’m glad you’re feeling better, Laura.

I’m sorry you’re feeling worse, msbelle.

I have a booster scheduled for Monday afternoon. Since I’m traveling on a plane to MI for Christmas, that seemed wise. Although making those travel plans was unexpectedly fraught. My usual airline (Delta) has stopped flying into my sister’s preferred airport (Flint) for some sort of COVID-political reason, so I was sitting there for a goodly while in Kayak.com trying different combos of travel days, muttering “No flights? None?” I did not expect that Flint’s airport would do something to piss off one of the largest carriers flying to MI. But a quick glance at their website confirmed it.

something (insect? spider) bit me in two places on my left arm on Wednesday night/Thursday morning

Every September there is something that bites me while I sleep and it is so very itchy for days. I used to think it was something moving in while I was at camp for the summer, but it has continued to happen every single year. It's mysterious and a bit annoying.

Timelies all!

I am in the main filk room, just hanging out. I am also wearing a tiara.

Yes, you should wear a tiara!

I'm sorry about the itching, msbelle. I have zero tolerance for itches. Apparently I would rather deal with the pain of tearing my skin apart scratching!

DH went to the boat show to check out various models for headspace. Both actual head space and clearance for the noggin space. There are options. Part of my quest for losing the weight is for comfort and maneuverability on a boat, although most is still general health.

Msbelle I hope you and Miley feel better soon

Grandma's funeral was yesterday. Just a small graveside service and my uncle did the eulogy and a long time family friend who is a music minister sang a few of Grandma's favorite hymns.

I wish the eulogy had been bit different but I can't really fault my uncle for what he said. I maybe wish others could have spoken about her. I'm glad it was just the immediate family and direct descents. I know a lot of people would have wanted to be there it just felt right.

Her obituary hasn't been published yet.

I got to see all my cousins. And Sun is buried next to Grandpa and where Geandma is now so we were altogether. It hit my aunt really hard because she could see her son's grave right there.

I saw my older cousin and his kids. He's a pediatrician and his daughter is back from Oxford where she got her master's in Classics and she's living at home and working while she applies for doctorate programs Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Penn, UC Berkley and other places. Her twin brother is a commercial diver and currently is cleaning the Living Seas aquarium at Epcot, there younger brother works in Key West on a tourist thing that's a hybrid of snorkeling and scuba diving. And my cousin's wife is finishing her PhD in May.

And they are super proud of all their kids and it's really cool to see them all happy and thriving . My cousin's wife asked for my email so we can keep in touch better.

His sister, my younger cousin, has 2 daughters 13 and 10. The older is super into competitive dance and gets As etc. Her younger daughter "if she gets a C she gets a high five and a way to go". The younger daughter struggles with school, not sure the exact things , but she also changes her hobbies. Currently it's vocal and karate . My cousin made a point of saying how she is fine that she changes all the time and supports anything she is doing. Also she said she loves reading my retail stories and rants.

Then my brother and I talked a long time the other night. We went up from the beach Friday night and spent the night at Dad's house. My brother said he's not close to our parents because they were absentee. Dad, yeah I get that but I hadn't realized how much Mom had checked out of parenting. But thinking back, while she was really focused on my health and stuff she didn't really follow through with a lot of things school related. She was depressed but they dotn have a close relationship with my brother because they didn't put in the work.

And then we were talking about something, I think about work or something and he looks to make sure dad isn't in the hall and says "that (whatever we were talking about) is just white supremacy and the patriarchy controlling and oppressing people .." And I had to stop myself from laughing...not at him but how much he sounds like..I don't know. It was just so familiar what he was saying and I realized we do have a lot in common but I've created this narrative in my head about us that isn't based on reality and I could have a closer relationship with him if I put the effort in. Or we both did.

There has been something very freeing about this trip. Its also the first time I've been in Tallahassee and gotten into a loop of bad memories and rehashing the past and stuff like that.

It is good that you had that time with your brother. I hope you can keep up the connection.

That sounds like a really important conversation with your brother, and excellent connections with your cousins too.

Random: At Churchill Downs a colt named Howling Time out of a mare named Werewolf won the Street Sense Stakes today.

So appropriate.

Nice!