Reflections of My Life

Sonny and I had our hair appointment today. It was sad because our stylist is leaving to get married and moving to Maine. I had tears in my eyes as I left. My hair looks great though. She is leaving instructions for each client for the stylist who will be doing her clients. I told her that I did not want my center part to show anymore because I feel it brings attention to thinning hair. She laughed and said I do not have to worry about that, that my hair is not thinning at all. I was glad to hear that but will still not use a center part. Mine has always been a natural part so I have to make sure to cover it up when I do my hair.

Right now Sonny is asleep in my recliner. We are going to the potluck supper downstairs in the community room at five. I made coleslaw to take. It looks like there are a lot more people attending than the last time. It should be a good night.

I am still working on my computer and now my new phone. It is a new learning experience every time you get a new one.
 

There were 13 people at our potluck supper last night. It was so much fun and everyone left with a full stomach.

I think it is important for the residents to attend these suppers and get to know each other. Then if you need help or want to know about something going on within management or maintenance you will have someone to ask. Like one man who lost his wife two years ago and had to move to a different apartment because he had a two bedroom one and when she died he had to move to a one bedroom. I see him when I get my mail and he tells me how lonely he is. His kids do come to see him and take him places. But misses the companionship he had with his wife. He used to come to these suppers when his wife was alive but now he does not.

I am up very early today because I went to bed early. I can only sleep so many hours. Now with this new computer I can be on it for hours and not a problem The other one was frustrating me.

The new phone is a harder process for me since I do not really like phones. So far I only have put my contacts list in and email. I have not put the fakebook app in it and I think I might not. Text and calling should be enough. I only need it for appointments and for Sonny, of course. I always hated when the icon for Messenger would pop up on it so now I won't have that without fb.
 
I have been trying for months to get another aide. The one I started with brought her child to work with her. Plus she was always leaving my apartment running across the hall to my neighbor's apartment. She is her aide and would rather be there than here..........but she was being paid to clean my apartment which is not what she wad doing. I had to tell every single job to do. Instead of just saying clean the bathroom and her doing everything in it, I had to tell her each item to clean. I need someone who can figure out what needs to be cleaned and clean it. It is not like my apartment is ever really that dirty.

So anyway, I thought I was going to have Sonny's aide but she had a problem with all the paper work. So I posted an ad on the fb community employment page for my county. Nobody is responding to the ads for jobs at all. Even other jobs. Every place around here has signs out that they are hiring. Makes me wish I was younger and not disabled in any way.

Today I am trying hard to catch up on some cleaning jobs. I left the dishes from yesterday because I could not stand at the sink. I have been working on them all morning and there are not that many things. Our plates and silverware from last night at the potluck supper and the coleslaw bowl. I cheated on the coleslaw..........bought a bag of chopped angelhair cabbage and a bottle of coleslaw dressing. It was really good too.
 

I'm wondering if a tall stool would help you in the kitchen?

When son build his garage , we bought him a tall stool with back on it from Harbor Freight.
It swivels.

When he had to work from home, he worked out of his garage because just walking to it , gave him the sense of 'going to work.'
That stool got lots of use.

Hubby found a heavier / sturdier stool at farm store for himself.
 
Sliverfox said:
I'm wondering if a tall stool would help you in the kitchen?

When son build his garage , we bought him a tall stool with back on it from Harbor Freight.
It swivels.

When he had to work from home, he worked out of his garage because just walking to it , gave him the sense of 'going to work.'
That stool got lots of use.

Hubby found a heavier / sturdier stool at farm store for himself.
Click to expand...
A stool does help. I keep one in the kitchen and use it a lot. I brought it from my house where I used it constantly. I am short so need to be as close to the sink as possible. I put my stationary walker in front of the sink and stand inside that now while I wash. It helps to have something to hold on to.
 
I did not feel good yesterday but I managed to do quite a bit of work on a project I couldn't seem to finish. I hate the clump of wires from the stuff around my computer, table and recliner. I bought two of those power strips a couple of weeks ago but hadn't figured out how to best use them. I used to keep all the wires, power supplies and power strip in a big basket under the table with a board if front of it to protect Rabbit from checking them out.

When the new computer came, I took all that out of there. I watched videos on how to hide the wire mess. Well, nothing they did helped me. My outlets are not that close to the table. I cannot change the arrangement of my furniture in here or it would be a unconvenient nightmare. The power strips have short cords and the cords are stiff and hard to work with. I figured it out though!

I decided to put them on top of the file cabinet behind the printer and using double sided tape fastened them to the back corner. This means I CAN ACTUALLY see them and not have to crawl on the floor to get to them. I was even able to plug in my mug warmer that I use for my coffee and other hot food (in winter).

So after accomplishing that, I re-organized the gel pens I had near the recliner. Now there are no wires or power strips on that table and it looks much nicer and I can use the space when I am sitting there. I find that organizing little spots like that makes it easier to keep clean.

Rabbit appreciates having more space under the table since the basket of wires are not there. The board is still there to protect the woodwork in case he wanted to chew it.
 
Sliverfox said:
Sounds like you did a great job of deciding where to put all the wires.

My desk with computer are in part of a corner with the power strip under another set of shelves.

Looking at the mess in this part of the room,, we need to move out everything & start over. :eek: :unsure:🤪
Click to expand...
The ideal solution according to YouTube tech nerds is to put a hole in the middle of your table and run them to the computer and fasten to the underside of the table top and plug them in to the outlet that is directly behind the table. Which of course, is not doable for me. Nor do I want to put a hole in this table. One of those umbrella picnic tables would work just fine though as long as the hole is big enough or can be made bigger.
 
Life is funny. It can be running along smoothly at one point and you are happy as hell..............then poof! One tiny thing happens and it is like hitting a rut in the road that throws you and your car into a ditch.

When I lived at my house three years ago, I was miserable and desperate (yeah, just like the housewives but I did not get hit by a car nor did I hit anyone with a car) and thought I had no way out. I suppose I was patient, after all I did live there for almost twenty years. As you get older, patience is not a virtue any longer. It means you landed in the ditch and are still there.

One of the many things I learned from my mother was to write down a list of the pros and cons of your situation. In doing that, many times the answer is right there in front of your eyes! I still do that today.
 
Everybody loves summer. Well, I love June. My birth month. Once the forth of July hits, I am ready for September weather. Before I moved here 3 years ago, I felt like I was dying in the hot summer weather. I was outside a lot, in the sun, working in my garden. I had to keep a wet cloth on my neck, constantly going to the pump to wet it again. I sprayed peppermint essential oil in my hair and all over myself to keep the bugs away. It worked.......even for deer flies. Not for bees though so I was happy that I didn't chase them out of my garden.

Our house had solar and wind power only. So what we used was limited. Actually our system was quite big. 25 solar panels and a small wind turbine. Plus the fact that we were in the middle of the state forest probably limited a good portion of power but the sun hit the panels almost all day long depending on the season. Since we added components piece by piece due to the cost, it was awhile before I could even use a small fan.

It wasn't just summer time that I suffered. Using wood stoves for heat is great when it is very cold (sometimes even then it is not, like when you have to go to bed and bank the stove back or let it burn out while you are sleeping). Once the weather warms up a bit in the spring, but is still quite chilly at night..........a wood stove even banked back can be too warm. It was for me. In the fall too.

For some reason I have been super hot since I went through my change the year I turned fifty. I thought it would let up by the time I got to sixty. Well I am pushing seventy now and am still hot. I guess it saves me money. I do not need sweaters and sweatshirts, which I used to love. I do love my little fans and air conditioner though.
 
Today I had to take my paper work to the county office building for getting my aide. So I drove over on Jazzy. It was such a nice day that afterwards I sat in the park in front of the courthouse watching the traffic and people. Not many people in the parks. But it felt good sitting in the sun.

When I came home I prepared pork chops for the crock pot for supper. They are cooking now. I am going to take a rest and get my feet up. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday and hoping she can do something about my feet always swelling up. I can't stand it.
 
I got up again in the middle of the night. I don't want to start this to become a habit. I have to admit that since I got this new computer, I can't stay away from it for very long. I still have things to work on with it to get some other things working on it. It is a whole new thing for me to do all the set up since now I am on my own. I suppose it would have been easy to just let Windows take over and stay with that except that it stresses me out and I would not be happy with the new computer. Ubuntu is great.

I figure when I go to the doctor on Friday, I will be prescribed my first medication. I did not want to go that route. But if I can get rid of the things bothering me right now, it will or could be a good thing. Just because a doctor says something does not mean I usually just follow along. I do my own research and I know my body. It is not like I go to a doctor I have known for a long time so I can build up a trust of him or her. I will see how this goes.

When I lived at my house, I hated to see it start to get dark. I mean it really depressed me for the rest of the night. We had to turn off the power so most of the time we lived there, we had only kerosene lamps for lights. They are nice and all but not bright enough for me. At one time we lit the whole house with a lot of them. As we got more power we added 12 volt lights in the kitchen above the sink. That helped since I did not need the inverter to run them. The same with the refrigerator.

Now here in my apartment, here I am sitting at a dark computer instead of turning on lights. The light in the kitchen above the stove is on and the keyboard is backlit so I can type without a flashlight! Ha! Yes, I actually did that in my past life. To read books too until I got my Kindle. I will never take my conveniences for granted again. I was being worn down by all that work and had become miserable. So thankful I was able to get this apartment, The layout is perfect for someone who has trouble walking.

Well, I guess I will try to get some sleep now.
 
I am trying to make it a point to go to the park and just sit there for a bit. It is much easier to just say I will go tomorrow. But I need to get the fresh air and sunshine. So I have been taking my garbage out and that needs to be done daily. After that I just go across the street and find a spot to sit. It is relaxing and when I come back home I make my breakfast.

I am making a list to take to the doctor's appointment. Things I want to ask about. I am making another plan for the year ahead and things I need to do. It is not just health related............life related, I call it. Including things I am changing or doing in my apartment, my computer, my new phone, etc. It makes me feel like I am in control of my life. Like my budget sheets do for my finances.

I have been approved since March for a new aide and have not gotten one yet. I just had to re-certify the paperwork this week. So over 6 months have gone by and I did not get another aide yet. The thing is the first one did not work out and I didn't replace her right away. I found that I really need the assistance. So back to the drawing board.............only thing is aides are hard to come by! One complained on fakebook that RCIL is a lot of paperwork. Well I guess $100.+ a month is not worth the paperwork? And once you do the paperwork it is done except for updating certain things............like health issues.

It is a easy job, light housecleaning in a small studio apartment for someone who keeps it as clean as possible all the time, running errands, maybe some light shopping , laundry, etc. Two hours twice a week. Well, I am about to take a chance and post it on craigslist. That is my last resort but I have sold stuff there, maybe this would work too. I believe there is a shortage of employees in all sorts of jobs right now.

Off to the park now.............
 
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