Reflections of My Life

katlupe said:
It is such a relief for me to have you say this. I feel like I am the only person here on this forum who believes in low carbs/keto food plans. I am always cautious writing something on one of the main stream threads because I don't feel like I need to defend it. The truth is in the results.
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i have been on low carb for 10 months .down 30 lbs slow but sure and i dont feel like i am starving.and my ibs has diminished.
 

I cannot believe this weather. I see another air conditioner day for me. It rained during the night and sunny now. Getting ready to take a trip to the dumpster. Then will see how I feel. If I can take a walk I will. Packing the camera in my walker just in case. I don't want to over do today because tomorrow I have things I have to do. Annual inspection of our apartments? No warning really. Friday they told us. That is voting day and then I have a doctor's appointment. So might not be here when they inspect it. I like to be here so I can point out things that need to be looked at. I will try to make a list and leave that for them.
 
Some days I do not leave my apartment except to go to the dumpster. Other days I have too many errands or things happening on the same day. Today I am going to Johnson City for my doctor's appointment. Then going to stop at Weiss's to check out the availability of Zevia soda. I checked it out online and if that is correct I should be able to do better there than on Amazon. So while there I want to check out their spring mix and other greens. Walmart sells Marketplace brand and lately they have been packing spinach in it. Rabbit cannot eat that. Plus he leaves it.

I was trying to walk every day in the park but have not been able to do that. Lately knees have been too painful to do much walking. Sometimes once I get started I can walk past the pain. Maybe after this month is over I can get back to that. I don't mind walking outside in the cold or snow weather. It is just icy that I can't do. Afraid of falling. I have been doing my arm work outs with the dumbbells though. When I say I cannot walk, I do not mean I literally cannot walk. I walk in my apartment and downstairs. Not walking for exercise is what I am talking about.

The last couple of days I have been moving more photos from my old external hard drive to the new one. The old one moans and groans when I am using it so nervous about losing it before I get everything out of it. It is one of those larger sized ones. So I see a picture I didn't remember having and it is like seeing it for the first time. Especially the ones of my critters. They are best moments of my life I'd say. I like to look at a picture and then remember the day I was taking it. It feels real.
 
Today I went to my doctor appointment. She seems to be okay. Her office cancelled my appointment with her a couple of weeks ago because she was in a car accident. She said her son was with her. And she had to be in the hospital for 8 days which was hard since it is a hospital she usually works in. Hard to be the patient! lol I like her. Anyway she is ordering physical therapy for me here in Norwich. It is not far from my apartment (the advantages of living downtown!) for my knees and the lymphedema.

After my appointment was over Sonny took me to the restaurant in the truck stop. My favorite place because the food is so good. I had a steerburger with sauteed mushrooms and onions (no bun). And a salad with their own homemade ranch dressing which was amazing! Lots of coffee too. Sonny misses driving those big trucks so I think he is happy that I like to go there.

Then we went to Weis Supermarket. I had checked their site online and saw they had the Zevia soda in six packs. I wanted to buy four in different flavors.......gingerale, black cherry, cream and Dr. Zevia (like Dr. Pepper). On Amazon I can order a 24 variety called Rainbow. But I do not care for the cola flavors and that is four cans and the other cans are all only two of each. This way I have more cans of the ones I want. I don't drink it every day and never more than one can a day. So it lasts. I just like having it available.

Got back to Norwich so I could vote. Then Sonny was on his way home to vote near his house too. Busy day, tired now.
 
katlupe said:
Today I went to my doctor appointment. She seems to be okay. Her office cancelled my appointment with her a couple of weeks ago because she was in a car accident. She said her son was with her. And she had to be in the hospital for 8 days which was hard since it is a hospital she usually works in. Hard to be the patient! lol I like her. Anyway she is ordering physical therapy for me here in Norwich. It is not far from my apartment (the advantages of living downtown!) for my knees and the lymphedema.

After my appointment was over Sonny took me to the restaurant in the truck stop. My favorite place because the food is so good. I had a steerburger with sauteed mushrooms and onions (no bun). And a salad with their own homemade ranch dressing which was amazing! Lots of coffee too. Sonny misses driving those big trucks so I think he is happy that I like to go there.

Then we went to Weis Supermarket. I had checked their site online and saw they had the Zevia soda in six packs. I wanted to buy four in different flavors.......gingerale, black cherry, cream and Dr. Zevia (like Dr. Pepper). On Amazon I can order a 24 variety called Rainbow. But I do not care for the cola flavors and that is four cans and the other cans are all only two of each. This way I have more cans of the ones I want. I don't drink it every day and never more than one can a day. So it lasts. I just like having it available.

Got back to Norwich so I could vote. Then Sonny was on his way home to vote near his house too. Busy day, tired now.
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It has been decades since I had a good mushroom burger!
We voted. The results defy logic!
 
Well that new aide I got did not work out. She called me last night to tell me she has to quit. She had bad health problems and it didn't surprise me. I hated making her do difficult jobs that I could not do because she looked like her health was way worse than mine. She is only five years younger than me but looks much older. So the agency will probably be calling me about this soon. They want me to have an aide.

I walked over to the Service Pharmacy and picked up a few things. They are over priced but I like to give them some business so they don't close down. It is cool, about 55 degrees, but sunny. So was a nice walk. When I got back home, physical therapy called to set up my first appointment. Nov 30th.

I cleaned Rabbit's cage this morning, so don't have that to do now. I think I will get my legs up and do some coloring. Maybe watch YouTube on the television for a bit. Very quiet here right now. Earlier, our maintenance man was busy removing and then installing new water heaters in three apartments on my floor. Nosier than usual.
 
katlupe said:
Well that new aide I got did not work out. She called me last night to tell me she has to quit. She had bad health problems and it didn't surprise me. I hated making her do difficult jobs that I could not do because she looked like her health was way worse than mine. She is only five years younger than me but looks much older. So the agency will probably be calling me about this soon. They want me to have an aide.

I walked over to the Service Pharmacy and picked up a few things. They are over priced but I like to give them some business so they don't close down. It is cool, about 55 degrees, but sunny. So was a nice walk. When I got back home, physical therapy called to set up my first appointment. Nov 30th.

I cleaned Rabbit's cage this morning, so don't have that to do now. I think I will get my legs up and do some coloring. Maybe watch YouTube on the television for a bit. Very quiet here right now. Earlier, our maintenance man was busy removing and then installing new water heaters in three apartments on my floor. Nosier than usual.
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Darn it; too bad about your aide. Why do they even apply for work when they know they have health problems?

I hope you get another, healthier aide soon. Maybe you could ask if their staff have had any health-screening? Or would that be rude?

They ought to be able to push a vacuum, mop, stand to wash dishes, reach and bend. Good luck Kat.
 
RadishRose said:
Darn it; too bad about your aide. Why do they even apply for work when they know they have health problems?

I hope you get another, healthier aide soon. Maybe you could ask if their staff have had any health-screening? Or would that be rude?

They ought to be able to push a vacuum, mop, stand to wash dishes, reach and bend. Good luck Kat.
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I think the problem is that they can get these aide jobs without any experience or training. My neighbor had an aide (a younger woman) and she complained that she could not stand at the sink to wash the dishes because her back hurt. She would just leave the dishes. So she has been replaced.

My aide though, called me and wanted this job so bad that she promised me that she could do everything and had no trouble doing any jobs. Well, as soon as I met her, I had my doubts. She looked tired when she came to work.
 
Something we are seeing a problem with lately is people climbing right into our dumpster and digging through our garbage. The other day, Sonny and I walk out there so I could throw my garbage bag in and there is a young guy, who I have seen before, standing in the middle of our dumpster digging through it. Sonny starts to yell at him, but I stopped him. No use being a hot head about it. I ask the guy what he is looking for. He said anything he can use. I said, like what? He said tools, food, anything that is still good. I say that I am throwing an old cookbook away so he adds books to his list. I put it in his pile.

One of our tenants and friend, passed away and his friends were cleaning out his apartment. So there was food from his cupboards and refrigerator in there too. And tools and a lot of other stuff. He had lived here a long time. Somehow the word spreads when our dumpster is full of fairly good stuff. But it was right inside the dumpster........yuk! I figure this guy cannot be one of the many homeless people living here because where would he take all the stuff he got from the dumpster. Maybe to a tent on the riverbank? Don't know.

One of the problems I see with them doing this is that they make a mess around the dumpster when they leave. Leaving bits and pieces of trash on the ground. It stays like that for weeks because the garbage men won't pick it up. Nobody who works here will pick it up because "it is not in their job description."
 
katlupe said:
Something we are seeing a problem with lately is people climbing right into our dumpster and digging through our garbage. The other day, Sonny and I walk out there so I could throw my garbage bag in and there is a young guy, who I have seen before, standing in the middle of our dumpster digging through it. Sonny starts to yell at him, but I stopped him. No use being a hot head about it. I ask the guy what he is looking for. He said anything he can use. I said, like what? He said tools, food, anything that is still good. I say that I am throwing an old cookbook away so he adds books to his list. I put it in his pile.

One of our tenants and friend, passed away and his friends were cleaning out his apartment. So there was food from his cupboards and refrigerator in there too. And tools and a lot of other stuff. He had lived here a long time. Somehow the word spreads when our dumpster is full of fairly good stuff. But it was right inside the dumpster........yuk! I figure this guy cannot be one of the many homeless people living here because where would he take all the stuff he got from the dumpster. Maybe to a tent on the riverbank? Don't know.

One of the problems I see with them doing this is that they make a mess around the dumpster when they leave. Leaving bits and pieces of trash on the ground. It stays like that for weeks because the garbage men won't pick it up. Nobody who works here will pick it up because "it is not in their job description."
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Lately? Yikes, that has been going on for decades on this side of the country. It isn't as bad where I am now but elsewhere they start trolling the neighborhoods hours before trash pick up and dressed for the occasion, lab gown, gloves, face mask, and hat. They would make so much noise it would wake me up at 4:00 AM claiming to be looking for bottles but they would collect mail in piles looking for credit card info.
Shred everything!
 
Happy Heart said:
Lately? Yikes, that has been going on for decades on this side of the country. It isn't as bad where I am now but elsewhere they start trolling the neighborhoods hours before trash pick up and dressed for the occasion, lab gown, gloves, face mask, and hat. They would make so much noise it would wake me up at 4:00 AM claiming to be looking for bottles but they would collect mail in piles looking for credit card info.
Shred everything!
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Well, I have only lived here for 4 years so don't know how long it has been going on. I know when I first moved in one person went out early in the morning to put her garbage bag in the dumpster and someone jumped up because he was sleeping in it! Since last year though we have had a lot of homeless people brought here. So some of them could be in the dumpster too. I don't know for sure since I don't leave my apartment after dark ever.

I am fortunate to not get any type of mail with credit card or other personal information in it. Because I do everything online and have limited all mail types of offers.
 
I did a big grocery shopping yesterday. The store was pretty busy. Since the use of self check-outs, grocery shopping has become much easier for me. Even when my knees are giving me trouble. Sonny and I have established a method. He used to prefer the clerk check-out but now I think he uses the self check-outs even when I am not with him. The only thing they did not have was the quart size of heavy cream. I had to buy 3 of the pint ones. I needed one to make my yogurt as I like the full fat one better than without it. I use it in my coffee daily so had to have it.

Last night I found out that my next door neighbor's big dog died. I had just talked to him about her the day before yesterday. He was outside with his smaller one and I asked about her. He said he thought she had just given up and did not want to come outside. Owning dogs, especially large ones in an apartment building is not easy. It is not like they can just go out the door outside if they have to go to the bathroom ( I remember when my dog, Nikita started having seizures and she would try to get to the door. Most times she peed before I could get the door open. Made her feel horrible!). The dog next door had a few accidents outside his apartment door or by the elevator. Having to wait for the elevator is a problem also. It is going to be weird with her not here. Just the other day, when I was walking to the ramp she was making eye contact with me. I felt like she was saying hello.

Today I will be vacuum packing chicken that I bought yesterday. I buy the big package of chicken thighs and pack them two to a package. One of my favorite meals. Making keto yogurt and also going to cook up that head of cabbage I got from the food bank boxes.

I have a list of phone calls to make today. Not going to do a lot of physical work so I can get some relief from my knees. I need to do laundry but will wait till tomorrow. No sense over doing it today. Shopping is always hard on me. Since I get up so early, I have been going through my piles of papers pretty fast. I love seeing the pile disappear! I have completely organized the bookcase where I keep office supplies and my CD collection. Hopefully, I will be on to the dresser drawers by Sunday. Every time I start to feel down due to my mobility issues (osteoarthritis and lymphedema) I see or talk to someone who has much worse issues than I. Gives me the strength and positivity to persevere.
 
I lied. Even though I had 11 things to do on my list this morning. I only did 6. Did not make the phone calls because the places I had to call were not open today. Did not cook the cabbage, clean the NuWave, go through the papers or make the yogurt. On hold for another day. It doesn't matter. I am on my own schedule.

Just cooked chicken and cauliflower for supper. It is only 3:30 but it doesn't matter when I eat. I figure if I eat early I can have the dishes done, coffee made for tomorrow and kitchen cleaned up for the night early. Just hate that it gets dark so early but that means I go to sleep earlier and can get up earlier.
 
katlupe said:
I lied. Even though I had 11 things to do on my list this morning. I only did 6. Did not make the phone calls because the places I had to call were not open today. Did not cook the cabbage, clean the NuWave, go through the papers or make the yogurt. On hold for another day. It doesn't matter. I am on my own schedule.

Just cooked chicken and cauliflower for supper. It is only 3:30 but it doesn't matter when I eat. I figure if I eat early I can have the dishes done, coffee made for tomorrow and kitchen cleaned up for the night early. Just hate that it gets dark so early but that means I go to sleep earlier and can get up earlier.
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You're right, we're on our own schedule. I too feel bad when I don't get the meats portioned and in the freezer by the next day. But the day after that is still ok. I have to remind myself not to feel inadequate.

It's not even 4, but I too have my supper (chicken soup) made, and will be eating it soon. Maybe too, I will also get to sleep at a reasonable hour and get up earlier. I always feel so guilty when I sleep until 9. Who made me feel this way?
 
RadishRose said:
You're right, we're on our own schedule. I too feel bad when I don't get the meats portioned and in the freezer by the next day. But the day after that is still ok. I have to remind myself not to feel inadequate.

It's not even 4, but I too have my supper (chicken soup) made, and will be eating it soon. Maybe too, I will also get to sleep at a reasonable hour and get up earlier. I always feel so guilty when I sleep until 9. Who made me feel this way?
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As long as I don't have an appointment for anything, I am free to do what I want when I want. I really like not having a schedule. I try to do certain things every day but not at any special time. I keep a running list and if I don't do it that day, I do it the next. There are some things I must do daily though and I do.

I like eating early. One reason is because I hate being hungry when I am cooking something. I tend to not cook something quick if I am hungry. But cooking it early means I do not have to hurry through the preparation. I can always wait to eat it till I am hungry if it is all done.
 
When I was younger, before I got married, I lived in many apartment buildings. It seemed like something would come up and I would move. I was never evicted or anything like that. Back then, I had those type of landlords who would want to give me free rent for sex. Not for me........I was not a prude or anything like that but was not doing that. Some of those men were well known in our city. Had big real estate businesses and many apartment buildings. Wonder how many women took them up on that? Free rent was a big thing for a poor single mother. If I had trouble with rent my parents would always help me out.

After I was married, I only lived in two different apartments. That was in between husbands. Those apartments showed my maturity since I was now alone (my child grew up and was on his own). Since I was employed I had really nice apartments. The mistake I made was meeting someone and then moving in with him and then getting married. In the beginning, relationships are mainly hot romance. You can't get enough of each other. Somewhere along the line I would end up not being happy. I could live with it for awhile but it wasn't forever.

My first husband broke up with me for a topless dancer. She was "our" friend. Then she could not dance any longer and had to be on welfare. I admit that she was pretty but a cold type of woman. She used men and women for doing things for her or buying her expensive things. My 2nd husband was an alcoholic and I didn't really drink much by that time. By the time I left him, I did not drink at all. I did not like to even be around people drinking. Still don't. My 3rd and final husband was really a good guy. I was crazy in love with him. What broke us up was debt, differences in what to spend our money on and living without conveniences or a decent home. My knees had started getting really painful and I was using a cane. My life was going downhill fast and the only way I could stop it was to leave him. He did not want to change anything about the debt and every time I brought it up he would storm out.

Living here in a senior housing apartment building sounds horrible to some. Even some people who live here hate it and complain about it constantly. My answer is if you feel that way, change it. Find another alternative. For me it was and is the answer. As a single woman I feel safe here. Not owning a car has given me that extra bit of money to pay off the debt I brought with me (everything that was in my name). If I encounter a problem I research it and see if there is a way to overcome it. I see the complainers and whiners as people who stay that way. They become grumpy, grouchy people that others don't want to be friends with. Being positive and looking forward to each day results in a happier life. Even if you have problems that are hard to deal with.
 
katlupe said:
When I was younger, before I got married, I lived in many apartment buildings. It seemed like something would come up and I would move. I was never evicted or anything like that. Back then, I had those type of landlords who would want to give me free rent for sex. Not for me........I was not a prude or anything like that but was not doing that. Some of those men were well known in our city. Had big real estate businesses and many apartment buildings. Wonder how many women took them up on that? Free rent was a big thing for a poor single mother. If I had trouble with rent my parents would always help me out.

After I was married, I only lived in two different apartments. That was in between husbands. Those apartments showed my maturity since I was now alone (my child grew up and was on his own). Since I was employed I had really nice apartments. The mistake I made was meeting someone and then moving in with him and then getting married. In the beginning, relationships are mainly hot romance. You can't get enough of each other. Somewhere along the line I would end up not being happy. I could live with it for awhile but it wasn't forever.

My first husband broke up with me for a topless dancer. She was "our" friend. Then she could not dance any longer and had to be on welfare. I admit that she was pretty but a cold type of woman. She used men and women for doing things for her or buying her expensive things. My 2nd husband was an alcoholic and I didn't really drink much by that time. By the time I left him, I did not drink at all. I did not like to even be around people drinking. Still don't. My 3rd and final husband was really a good guy. I was crazy in love with him. What broke us up was debt, differences in what to spend our money on and living without conveniences or a decent home. My knees had started getting really painful and I was using a cane. My life was going downhill fast and the only way I could stop it was to leave him. He did not want to change anything about the debt and every time I brought it up he would storm out.

Living here in a senior housing apartment building sounds horrible to some. Even some people who live here hate it and complain about it constantly. My answer is if you feel that way, change it. Find another alternative. For me it was and is the answer. As a single woman I feel safe here. Not owning a car has given me that extra bit of money to pay off the debt I brought with me (everything that was in my name). If I encounter a problem I research it and see if there is a way to overcome it. I see the complainers and whiners as people who stay that way. They become grumpy, grouchy people that others don't want to be friends with. Being positive and looking forward to each day results in a happier life. Even if you have problems that are hard to deal with.
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There are a lot of men who think women can't live without them but that is their fantasy, not reality. It seems you are doing well by yourself so always remember no one will care about you like you do. I was single for 15 years between husband #1 and #2, waited a long time to find one who appreciates me, .... well, most of the time.
Be happy.
 
katlupe said:
Well, I have only lived here for 4 years so don't know how long it has been going on. I know when I first moved in one person went out early in the morning to put her garbage bag in the dumpster and someone jumped up because he was sleeping in it! Since last year though we have had a lot of homeless people brought here. So some of them could be in the dumpster too. I don't know for sure since I don't leave my apartment after dark ever.

I am fortunate to not get any type of mail with credit card or other personal information in it. Because I do everything online and have limited all mail types of offers.
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Yikes! I that would wake me up! Hopefully, she wasn't hurt. When we moved here the homeless were mostly by the creek or downtown but now most of my neighbors refuse to leave their house at night. I feel badly for those who really need help but not so much for those who chose that lifestyle. We have worked at soup kitchens and joined a group that takes food to the park for them but I'm not sure how much longer I can do it because it seems to have become an entitlement for most these days.
Enough of that rant, hope your day is productive and you get your yogurt made! We like it too.
 
This morning it was cold, about 30 degrees and a light layer of snow and frost on the cars in the parking lots. I turned the heat up so Rabbit would be comfortable down there on the floor. He wasn't complaining though. Today I am planning on trimming his claws. As he has gotten older it has become an easier job. I wonder if that is because he realizes how good it is for him? You usually don't know that until you mature.

The yogurt will be ready around ten so I can pour it in the jars. I put it in a bowl and mix it a bit with the mixer just to make it a creamy consistency. This yogurt is way better than anything you can buy in a store. Worth making it yourself.

Yesterday I thought I was catching a cold or something but it seems to have been just passing by. Feel fine today. Of course, I took it easy yesterday even though I did a lot of things on my list.

I bought some groceries yesterday using Instacart. One of the things I bought was unsweetened cranberry juice. I thought I should start drinking it, even though I know it is not low carbs and fruit juice is never a good thing. When I worked as a CNA I remember making sure the women had some daily as a preventative for various things. So I have decided to use it at least to see how I do with it. I ordered the one called Pure cranberry juice made by Ocean Spray. Ugh! I added a can of Zevia gingerale to it and that made it taste better.
 
I had a large piece of cardboard that my new office chair came in. I used it to cover the window with the air conditioner in. Tonight it feels warmer in here. I wouldn't worry so much about it if it was just me here. But I don't want Rabbit being cold down there on the floor. It was easy to just stand it up in front of the window. Tomorrow I will look for something for the other windows. The bedroom area (this is a studio apartment so it is not really separate) is cold at night. So trying to make it warmer in there. I have more than enough afghans (my mom made them) for me though. For the most part I don't mind the cold weather. During the day, my apartment is warm so I turn down the heat and turn it up in the evening.

I did not get everything done on my list today, of course..........I never do. Tomorrow is another day.
 
I do not like yogurt for the most but I do get a craving for the yoplait orange and cherry, but that is what the grandson likes. I have never been a great fan but my son took the gogurt tubes and drinks in his lunch box

Can bunny sleep with you? My two littles sleep in the bed with me and the big boy sleeps on the the carpeted floor next to my side of the bed. I have dog beds all over the house so there are many places for them to nap. The only one is funny is the oldest little girl, if she sees me getting dressed she knows I am leaving the house and runs to my bed and stays there until I get home. I guess she does not like dealing with her brothers when I am gone. LOL
 

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