The grass is too long

 "No more roundabout discussions of what makes a good man.  Be one." - Marcus Aurelius

I've done seven straight 12 hour shifts - with two more to go.  I get one day off to attend the kid's graduation.  Then I do six more more 12 hour night shifts.  I'm getting a bit tired, and that's normal for this kind of schedule.

Allergies:  I've never before had any allergy issues with pollen, but this year I've had an awful time with it.  You always see yellow rings of pollen around puddles this time of year - it's amazing how much there is floating around.  For some reason, this year it really caused a lot of congestion.  Sinus, throat, lungs, and burning eyes.  It got so miserable that I picked up some Zirtec-D, which you have to pick up at the pharmacy counter and show ID to get.  It helped quite a bit, and it's fairly long-lasting - 12 hours.

Exercise: After about a week of feeling like I was fighting off several head colds at once, the congestion has let up quite a bit.  This has allowed me to exercise again.  I haven't had the time, motivation, or energy to do much besides work recently, so it's good to get back into the routine.  Home is mostly for sleep and chores at this point, so exercise is limited to work.  I haven't been on the bike since there was snow on the ground.  I managed to get in a few walks.

Chores:  I need to mow the grass.  It's gotten way too long - it will probably take 2-3 passes to cut without plugging the grass-catcher chute up.  Right now it's a struggle to keep up with just routine things that need to be done.

Troubles: A good friend of mine has died of cancer.  A while back when he was diagnosed with Stage 4, he decided against getting really invasive (and probably ineffective) surgery.  I was able to find time to visit him before he passed away.  The last thing he ate was a cinnamon roll that we shared.  It was  difficult to see him suffer.  Much as I'll miss him, I'm happy that pain and suffering have ended.  He was certainly looking forward to the end of it all.   His service is on Saturday.  I'll skip some sleep to attend.

More troubles: A nearby elderly relative went to the hospital following a 911 call recently, and won't be returning home again.  They will be going to an assisted-care facility instead.  Suddenly we have to deal with the bills, making arrangements for care and doctor visits, disposal of their belongings, selling the home and car, and caring for an obnoxious dog - who at age 13 is not yet fully house-broken.

Good stuff: The kid is about to graduate.  I need to keep my mind off of relentless work, death, and elder-care - as family will soon arrive from out of town to celebrate.  I'm trying to find it in myself to celebrate with all this other stuff going on - none of which is within my control.  Our daughter has worked hard and deserves the celebration, so I'll do my best to set aside exhaustion and irritation, and try to keep a cheerful demeanor.

Hopefully later on this summer, things will improve.  It will be nice to have time for enjoyable stuff, but that seems such a long way over the horizon.  The bucket-list hike up Scotchman Peak to visit the mountain goats was supposed to have been last week, but it's been pushed back due to circumstances.

It's never good to complain, and I'm not really trying to do that.  Just kinda wishing there was a little bit of time to do stuff I'd enjoy, LOL.