One job I could never make a living at is digging large holes alongside people’s houses and then cutting one-ton slabs of concrete out of their basement foundations. For a lot of reasons I couldn’t do that job, but the major clincher would be the nerve-wracking aspect. What if the house falls down? Or the concrete on top of you? And how can you stand operating the concrete saw—loud, dirty, and smelly? I just had to put up with a few hours of the noise and vibration while trying to work. So yeah, that happened today; we now have a large chunk of our basement foundation cut out. Tonight, this rainy night, our new almost-door is blocked off with two full sheets of plywood, awaiting the double doors. The weather hasn’t been terribly cooperative for these guys, but I’m impressed by their good nature and diligence.

Got a letter from the White House today. Uncle Joe wrote to say that we should be getting a stimulus check. We did. Six weeks or more ago. Either he’s been too busy to write and so the letter didn’t get out on time, or he needs to find a new Post Master General to speed things up. He didn’t say anything about when our $6,000 tax refund would arrive, though. It’s been two months since we filed. Come on, mama needs a new basement.

Went for a walk in the light rain to buy Xanax, milk, and pickles. No, we’re not pregnant, we just needed milk for yogurt, and Steve craves a certain brand of pickle. He’s been having a bit of indigestion since going off the coffee. I found out that Xanax was pulled from the shelves awhile back for contamination issues. Hmm. While I was walking across the parking lot to the grocery store, this guy honks at me. Turns out he’s a friend from work whom I haven’t seen for more than a year—for obvious reasons. He parked, got out of his car, and we stood in the light drizzle chatting for nearly a half hour. He caught me up on all the new building work that’s been going on at our company. Like me, he’s itching to get back in the office, but the facility manager told him that employees’ pet dogs would be allowed to come back to that building before the likes of him—or me, for that matter. Not sure whether that was a commentary on my friend or on the company’s rigid health policy. Speaking of work, it’s National No Pants Day. Um, no, I didn’t. Despite the work-from-home status, I have always gotten dressed as if for the (thankfully, casual) office environment.

It’s also National Provider Appreciation Day, and I’d like to give a shout-out to all those caregivers who have looked after Mom for the past few years—especially my sisters, and one who has taken on the role of Closest Proximity Child and Therefore Recipient of Complaints. Mom seems to be doing much better. Today, they gave facials to all the moms, and I have a picture of her with mud on her face and a big smile. We’re glad she chose to participate. After seeing the picture, my brother wondered whether she was “getting all gussied up for a hunting trip.” Oh, you!