Earlier this evening as I was cleaning up after dinner, I noticed a puddle near the cabinet with the dishwasher in it and mopped it up and then I noticed a puddle, same place, and mopped it up, and then I noticed a puddle … Please re-read this sentence 1,000 times and you will get the idea.

There is some kind of reservoir in the underside of the cabinetry that is storing water from a leak. I used up a worn mattress cover, an old bed sheet, three terry towels and a whole roll of paper towels and the puddle is still there. I have stuffed foam rubber from a package into the hole and the puddle seeps past.

Ed tried to fix the leak but did not succeed. I can explain the frustration more clearly if I tell you that he is going to try once more tomorrow and then (gasp) he is going to call a plumber. I loaded a bucket with the sopping bedding and will wash it tomorrow. I could barely lift the bucket.

I ran the dishwasher and I am sure it produced more water into the reservoir. I couldn't clean the broiling pan nor saucepan because I knew the sink was producing the leak too. So I'll have to clean them after the repair.

As often happens, other household chores were suddenly in crisis mode. I had to clean out and re-load the kitty pans and I would like to know what it is about scattered litter (despite a pretty good undermat for the pans) that is still there after you have swept it up and discarded it. Is it the work of an angry Litter God?

Also paper clutter was piling up nd I had to deal with the accumulation that had to be sorted and filed. I am keeping up with new filing because I changed my system. I have one folder for credit card paid bills instead of a folder for each card. Can you believe I didn’t think of this for years? Ditto utilities. But there is old filing that is a burden on my conscience. So I sat on the floor next to the cabinet and made piles of what goes where and Chewy and Max, in series, decided to sit on the very pile I was working on at the moment. How sweet.

Ed asked for coffee, a rare occurrence at night. I made half a pot and drank a cup and I think it kept me awake long enough to do all the chores.

Finally, Chewy had offset some of his inner resources onto the carpet in the den and I kept passing the smudges on my way to do other stuff and finally cleaned it up with paper towels and Resolve for pet stains (pretty good stuff). While I was down there I noticed and cleaned out tons of cat hair. Then I realized the drapes were loaded with hair too because Chewy likes to sit on the desk and brushes against them. That’s next but not tonight because it is already tomorrow. Sigh

Finally, results of a follow-up TSH test came back and my number has dropped from 3.7 to .89. The endocrinologist is happy with these results but, more to the point, I feel very much better and have been able to exercise close to my old routine. I have been monitoring my core temperature and this has increased from a range of 94 to 96 to 96 to 98. As for my internist, who is caring and sweet, I hate to say it, but two years of ignoring my questions re. the thyroid led to a loss of energy and pervasive fatigue and, I believe, compromised me to a point that I got really sick with an upper respiratory infection that I couldn't shake. This is not acceptable and I am changing to another doctor as I mentioned in a recent post.

xx, Teal