I do love my apartment but I wish the balcony was larger. It's crescent shaped, wider in the center than at the ends. I only put a few flowers in the center part now and prefer to put the majority of the flowers in front of the patio doors. This way i can see them all the time when I'm sitting in my chair and watching T.V. or Swedish weaving.
It's a good thing I don't put plants at the far end because the sparrows have built a nest there. It's cute to see how much of my asparagus fern they used for the nest. I'd hoped the Momma sparrow would keep the damned squirrel away but I've seen him twice now. I haven't seen any dug out plants, though, since I stuck some forks into them. Maybe he'll go somewhere else...I certainly hope so!
My niece's husband asked me if I miss all the gardens I had at my house and I honestly don't. It had gradually become too much for me to do the planting and weeding so my little balcony garden suits me just fine. I've learned what flourishes out there and tend to stick to pretty much the same plants each year, maybe changing the color.
I can't imagine how it would be to live out a Canadian summer with no live flowers to look at. When I see desert areas on T.V. I can't imagine what it would be like to live in a climate like that, either. I've had the best of home and Florida for the past 20 years where I could enjoy planting almost all year long. When that time ends, I'll settle for a few more house plants. Right now I have 3 African violets, 1 large orchid, and 2 mini orchids as house plants. They winter with Kim and Cindy. The orchids are blooming beautifully and the African violets should flower soon.
My home is very eclectic because I've surrounded myself with things I enjoy and not tried to follow a single theme. I have Chinese vases, carnival glass, my treasured Scandinavian teak end tables, leather sofa and chair, flower photos on the walls, and lots of color everywhere. I'm very pleased to say the only place there is clutter is on my computer desk. That has taken a while to accomplish but mainly took place when I moved into the apartment. I was determined not to load myself down with too much stuff.
My crafts did get a little out of hand but now, with my lovely new shelving, all is neatly stored and mostly out of sight. Now I can rest and enjoy!
Every so often you come across someone who is just mean spirited, hopefully just a stranger to you. I've come across a few from writing my blogs and commenting on Facebook so maybe I'm putting myself out there for the nasties to find.
One lady just blasted me for writing the details of my projects on my Swedish weaving blog instead of putting it all on Facebook. She thinks I'm getting rich on the blog but $70 in 6 months is hardly riches. The thing is that I don't write the blog for money...obviously! I write it to give and get information on our craft. Period.
I think there are more unhappy people out there now than there used to be and that's why we get road rage, adult temper tantrums, and unwarranted rudeness. I've learned it's best not to respond to nasty people because they truly are nothing in your life and don't deserve your attention or your time so I put my indignation to use by writing something on the blog to get my frustration out. Better than participating in an argument!
Faye once said about me that I don't argue and I had never noticed that before. I know I bitch but carrying on an actual argument is too uncomfortable for me and I prefer to walk away. Anyway, the blog today was more about wondering why some people just have to be nasty instead of nice and my conclusion is that nasties are sad people who are so full of unhappiness that they have to unload it on someone else sometimes. Just walk away.
Some in-laws become friends, casual acquaintances, and sometimes not even friends. You are very lucky if you gain a lot of friends with your in-laws because you'll probably spend a lot of time with them over the years. Almost every one of my in-laws are friends so I'm very, very lucky. The few I'm not particularly fond of are not so bad, either. We're just not buddies. I'd say my in-law relationships are fairly healthy.
Nick remarried last year to a lady I adore. From the very beginning she was like a ray of sunshine, always smiling and always kind. Sometimes you get very lucky to have an in-law like her! We went plant shopping yesterday for their new house and it was so much fun. Being with a person like her makes your day.
We hit Costco first and got some magnificent planters full of beautiful flowers...they don't want to do much planting, especially this first year in their house. We did get some interesting grasses at Terra and they'll go in the front garden. Nick wants low or no maintenance so we abided by his wishes. I think Bev is a little more open to learning and looking after flowers but not this year.
I left their house feeling so good that Nick has found the love of his life and one who makes him so happy. Some people never find that kind of love so he's one lucky man. And Bev lucked out, too. She not only got a wonderful man like Nick but a whole family of in-laws who love her dearly!
I saw a posting yesterday showing a honeycomb and the comment was how and why did someone get the idea to open up a bee's nest and taste it. Yes, just what would drive a person to do that?
There are lots of things I wonder about. Where did the idea of marriage come from? Have humans always been primarily heterosexual? Why did our ancestors travel across the ocean to dig into an inhospitable landscape and homestead? Was this a better alternative than staying home? Who thought to put vinegar on fries and potato chips? Who decided to build up instead of sideways or back? How did politicians convince the hard working public to hand over all their power and tax money to them? Who was the first person to open an oyster and eat the slime inside?
Human behaviour is another huge mystery. Why do we hurt the ones we love? Why do some work themselves to death and others refuse to work at all? What drives women to grow a big fat baby inside their tummy knowing it's going to have to come out of a small place and that's going to hurt like hell? Why do some people refuse to live by the social rules of their community? Why don't they live where their rules apply? Why do we take foreign language classes in elementary and high school when we'll almost never go anywhere we need to speak them? Why do some people crave adventure and others peace and quiet? Why did we create religions?
There are endless questions, many of which aren't important enough to dig for the answers...some with no answers. One thing for certain, the biggest question is why are we here? That is a question I really wish could be answered.
I kept finding dirt dug out of my balcony planters and hoped it was the birds but, no, it was that same damn squirrel who climbed up 6 storeys of brick to get to my balcony!
I saw him early this morning and immediately went to chase him away and he reacted just like last time, showing aggression towards me. That is scary! I don't have much to chase him off with so I resorted to bug spray and that worked. I had hoped the little sparrow nest in the corner would mean any squirrel that showed up would be chased away by a horde of angry sparrows but it was silent out there...only me cursing at the squirrel.
I sure hope he wouldn't come near me when I'm sitting out on the balcony but he's aggressive enough to not be afraid of humans.
The royal family used Diana as a brood mare and they got more than they bargained for. Prince William, who will be the next king of England, is a new age man and Prince Harry is a national treasure whether they know it or not. Their mother must be smiling down on them.
The royal family have always been such a stodgy bunch until Diana's two boys came on the scene. William, the older brother, will make a great leader because he carries his mother's genes as well as his father's. Harry has been a treat to watch since he was a little madcap boy. Of course, the red hair should have warned us but he also had and has that sort of devilish smile.
When we found out that Harry had chosen an American actress, divorced, and half black heritage, I wanted to stand up and cheer. He may not have said it out loud, but he was letting the world know that he was his own man and he would be marrying a woman he loved and not one chosen for him. Meghan is a beautiful, accomplished woman in her own right and those two will change everyone's vision of the royal family.
To see Diana's boys with the women they've chosen to love, you know she didn't marry into the royal family in vain. She didn't get the life she deserved but she gave back so very much to the world with her charity work and with her two sons who will definitely carry on in her honor.
I've always thought the royal family were generally a useless group of people but I'm starting to think they might have actually developed into something worthwhile.
It never used to bother me much about being around people with a cold because, in my younger days, getting a cold meant about 3 days of discomfort if it happened at all. Nowadays, I'm really nervous about even getting a chill in case it turns into a cold. Being around someone with a cold is just not going to happen.
In my golden years, I don't recover so easily and my last bout with a simple cold actually lasted about a month. That is just too debilitating for an old lady to tolerate. My poor old body suffered enough to make me quite anemic because, when you have a cold, your appetite disappears. Old people can't bounce back like younger ones can.
As it stands, I will never again have a cold for more that 7 days without hiking myself to the doctor. If I'm in Florida, I'll put my life in Shelley's hands. I know I'm not the young, strong chick I once was.
I love the hairstyle I've been sporting for about a year and I'm lucky enough to have a very good hair dresser in Florida and also one here at home. They are excellent at hair cutting but, unfortunately, neither can style my hair the way I like it. I've tried to explain until I'm blue in the face but now I just give up and let them do their amazing cut and crappy styling. Then I go home, soak my hair and restyle it myself.
I will not really complain about these wonderful hairdressers because the most important thing is the cut.
Yesterday I went to Wendy's for a late lunch. It happens to be my favorite fast food restaurant mainly because I can get a baked potato there. They have some special where you get a bacon, cheese burger for $4 right now (in Canada) so I thought, since I'm forced to eat more meat these days, I'd get one but have them leave the bacon out. I don't know why I don't eat bacon because I love the smell and taste of it but this is one of my quirks I haven't figured out.
Anyway, I placed my order, asking for no bacon on the burger and was told they couldn't do that. I know my mouth dropped like a big bass because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I asked why and the young clerk said she'd already gotten into trouble for doing it. I must have looked shocked because she went back and asked her manager if she could do it just this one time and he'she said okay...just this one time! I was incredulous and asked why. The girl mumbled something about the special being over (it wasn't...there were signs plastered all over the place) and some other nonsense so I just shut my mouth and finished with my order.
Am I wrong here or is this weird? I've heard jokes about people asking for a 2 egg omelet instead of the 3 egg omelet advertised and being told they couldn't have a 2 egg omelet. Kim once told me she ordered a small drink at Tim Hortons and was told she couldn't have it because only the medium and large cups had been delivered that morning and no small ones.
I think I have to e-mail Wendy's head office.
Update: I e-mailed their head office and explained what happened and immediately received a letter back from the franchise owner. He apologized and said anyone's request for something to not be included in their sandwich order should always be honored. He offered me a free meal coupon which I accepted. I knew I was in the right and I also knew that it's important to let the owner know when you have a problem with their business because that's the only way for them to be able to rectify a problem. This particular franchise owner owns 3 restaurants and relies on his managers to do right by the customers. If a manager isn't following company policy, it's up to the customers to let the owner know.
I have never really enjoyed going to fancy, overpriced restaurants but that's where people take you when they want to treat you to something special. I always feel as though I'm out of my element and would be far happier at a "Wendys".
Nick, Bev, and Matt took me and Kim to a lovely new downtown restaurant that wasn't necessarily fancy but it sure was overpriced. The food was good with flavors I hadn't tasted before so that was nice, too. It was the company and not the overpriced restaurant that made me happiest, though. I love spending time with my babies!
Bev had been to Memphis on a business trip a few weeks back and Kim told her to bring me some gaudy Elvis gift so she did...an Elvis clock where the pendulum was his legs. I love it!!!! Someone could have bought me diamonds and I wouldn't have been as thrilled as I am over that clock!
This has been a beautiful weekend of gifts and family and I'm about as happy as I've ever been at any time in my life. The reason is simple. I have a loving family. I know this is a constant thread through my blog but that's just the way it is.
I talked to Shelley and part of the conversation was about my iron levels and she thinks my health problem is only anemia and I agree with her. I think I'm back to 100% of my normal strength and stamina thanks to the iron supplements and a better diet and that's a good thing. I have a lot more fun planned for the future and I'd hate to miss out on any of it.
Oh yes, I got a surprise as I was rearranging my craft supplies. I'm getting rid of almost all of my jewelry making supplies because that's a craft I now believe I won't do but I did keep a little bit of items to make bracelets. As I was discarding stuff, I found a big bag of what I thought was just jewelry boxes but it was heavy. When I opened the boxes, there were all kinds of gorgeous old rhinestone and sterling that I'd forgotten I even had. It pays to clean up once in a while! It will give me something to play on Ebay with.
I have been very lucky to have the time and energy to play with my passing interests in my old age. Life is good!
I happen to have a very close and loving family and I know how lucky I am. We are a social race of people, something like pack animals to tell the truth. We flourish when part of a group and wither as loners. But there is never a need to be a loner because we can create our own family or pack with people who just aren't our blood relatives. We can love them just the same and gain all the benefits of "family".
You need to choose carefully the pack you run with, though. Some are feral. To live a happy and useful life, fill your pack with kind and gentle people because they're the ones who will raise you up to your best potential. Just think what happens to people who choose to run with a criminal pack...what chance is there for them to become anything but criminals, too.
I remember trying to instill in my girls the understanding that you are known by the company you keep. That is not to mean you only associate with the elite because they're not necessarily good people. The right people to surround yourself with are those who want only the best for you.
I have family I've walked away from because they were harmful in some way. When I say "walk away" I mean I don't invest myself in their lives any more but I can still be polite to them when we happen to be together. That's all part of being civilized. I used to have a little clipping on the fridge door that said, "no-one can hurt you unless you let them", and I live by that. If someone hurts me one too many times, I can't allow them to continue to be close and I think that's a logical and sensible solution.
But I truly am blessed with good people in my life. My children top the list and I can't believe sometimes how lucky I am that they still love me after all the mistakes I made as a mother. I've always said that Dennis and I must have done something right all those years when we were raising our daughters because they are such special, wonderful women now.
So, gather together a good pack of people, whether they're blood relatives or not, because this is what we all need in order to live a happy life.
I know other mothers might feel the same way but I really do have 3 of the most wonderful daughters that anyone could have been blessed with. Right now I'm sitting on my brand new desk chair thanks to Kim, Cindy, and Shelley!
I also was very happy to have Tyson come for a visit this morning. I don't get to see Cindy's kids as much as I do Kim's so it's such a treat to have him all to myself!
Another good thing today was getting the spare bedroom almost organized. The shelving is up thanks to Matt and Kim and it holds all of my yarn and monk's cloth plus a few more things on the top. I love it! There is still a little bit to organize but very little. I put all of the jewelry that I sell in the closet where, before, it was piled in a corner on the floor. The room is much too small to have stuff on the floor so now it looks fabulous...at least to me!
The above is how much stuff I needed to organize and the bare wall is the space I cleared for the shelving.
This is the spare room now and I'm very, very happy about how it turned out. I want to buy a white quilt with small red flowers for the bed so that it won't clash with the shelving.
It's amazing how good it feels to get yourself organized. I've been wanting that shelving for years but knew I'd need my family to put it together for me and I hate being dependent like that. I finally decided to forget about my pride and get the shelving. Kim and Matt put it together and I couldn't be happier.
Today my 2 girls (Shelley is in Florida) brought me this wonderful new desk chair for Mother's Day and they put it together for me, too.
I love my family!
I feel like I'm batting my head against a brick wall trying to get my family to understand that ALL lives matter. Does a black person's life matter more than mine because their ancestors were slaves? Some of mine might have been, too, because Irish slaves were brought to Canada.
Is a refugee's life more important than mine because some of their countrymen destroyed their country? Is a cop's life more valuable than mine because of his career choice? Tyson called us "blissfully white" and that irked me no end. Just as any other race, the white race had no choice in the shade of their skin. What about the white people who were attacked because of their skin color??
I am so sick of white people denigrating whites out of some kind of guilt. I never owned a slave for heaven's sake. I've never used the "N" word because it's foul. I've had my own struggles just as every other person on this earth has had and, if they were caused by ignorant people who held me back because of my sex or standing, then it's shame on them. When anyone overcomes something like that it is empowering.
Am I going to feel guilty because I was born white? Why should I? I don't feel guilty because I was born poor, either. I'm much more than that...and so is EVERYONE else.
We had a domino game at Cindy's last night and part of the conversation was about how mean words spoken by anyone against you can and will remain with you the rest of your life.
I can remember mean words from decades ago and, even if they don't hurt me now, I can still remember the slashing pain when they were spoken. It helps to keep in mind that anyone who would cut you like that has no place or prominence in your life. They should be thought of as dirty spots to be washed away and forgotten...at least diluted from their original strength.
Some cruel words might not have been meant as such but were taken that way. You can't undo the harm they caused so you'd better be very careful how you speak.
It always surprises me to see how many men who abuse women either sexually or physically make the news because I've personally known so few in my life. Of course, the more high profile abusers such as politicians make the news before a regular person would.
Looking back on my life, I remember only one man who I know beat his wife because I was unlucky enough to see it. I was maybe 10 years old and staying overnight at a friend's house when the beating began. My friend and her brothers were terrified of their father who was truly a bully to those kids. We huddled in our beds as their father, the man who should have been their protector and example for them to follow, screamed and dragged his wife back and forth through the house. It sounded like he raped her, also. I didn't see the rape but did see him dragging her as she cried and begged him to stop. What kind of man could do this?
I remember the next morning as he sat at the kitchen table eating a breakfast that his trembling wife made for him. He ordered the children to perform certain household chores before he would allow them to go outside...but then, when the chores were completed, changed his miserable mind and made them stay inside. I went home very thankful I didn't have to live like that.
I saw his wife many years later and barely recognized her. She had been a pretty woman in her 20's on that fateful night which I'm sure was not the only time that monster abused her. Twenty years later, she walked hunched like a very old lady.
Abuse happens to some women but I'm pretty certain the vast majority of men would never hit a woman, especially in today's world where women have become more empowered than they were way back in 1950.
I believe abusers choose their victims carefully, closing in on someone they know will allow themselves to be dominated. How sad for the human race.
I look back fondly on the earlier days of my life when I would rarely have to see a doctor. I swear that, once they get their hands on you, you are stuck with them forever.
I'm having a follow-up appointment with the hematologist this afternoon to see if the iron supplement is working to raise my red blood cell count. I feel perfectly fine...nothing at all like the exhausted and weak person I was after battling two serious bouts of the cold...but I bet I'll be sent for more tests.
Cindy is going to meet me there and I think that's a good thing. She can be the person who is not nervous and anxious and sort of teed off at the whole procedure. I just don't understand why they can't see that a woman my age might suffer some health issues after being inundated with those 2 colds so close together but then, maybe not bounce back, but drag myself back a little slowly.
I don't want the catscan either because I don't trust it's accuracy. That's the test that showed a 3.5 cm cyst in my pancreas that a later MRI showed didn't exist. I can accept having a colonoscopy and endoscopy but not willingly. No matter what, this appointment today is not going to go well.
Apparently it takes about 3 months for an iron supplement to work properly in your body. I'm just hoping my bloodwork will show some improvement after 2 weeks!
Update: Well, there was a tiny improvement in most of the bloodwork and that's a happy surprise. We ended up cancelling the catscan unless it's needed later but making appointments for the colonoscopy and the endoscopy. Cindy met me there and then I took her and Don out for dinner.
I came home feeling hopeful.
I got a nice tax return this year and decided to do something nice for myself. I see my dermatologist twice a year for skin cancer maintenance but this winter I was not happy to notice how dark and large the brown spots on my face had become and decided this was the time to do something about it.
There are 5 sessions and the cost with tax was $1700 so it's not cheap but my face had started to look dirty and that, not wrinkles, is what spurred me to have the treatment.
Each session is about an hour long and the areas treated are zapped with what feels like rubber bands...not pleasant but doable. There is no breaking of the skin. I was told to take a couple of extra strength Tylenol before the treatment but don't know if they helped or not. The treatments are spaced about 3 weeks apart.
I was also warned that the first couple of treatments would darken the bad areas and they sure did. I look awful but they do cover up with make-up. I seldom wear make-up but I'll have to now until these brown areas lighten up!
Keep in mind that I'm not doing this to look younger but just to feel more presentable. There is one area on my left cheek that has darkened just too much and it almost covers that cheek. I don't like it at all. Again, this will do nothing for the wrinkles but I'm really hoping it will even out the skin tone.
Update: It took about 5 days for the affected dark skin to start flaking off. Not all of it has but it looks a bit more presentable than before. 4 treatments to go!
I think there's a little bit of the bitch in all of us...at least I hope I'm not in the minority because I really do want to be a nice person. Well, this morning my inner bitch said, "go do a load of laundry".
This all came about because of an incident last Saturday morning when I was also doing laundry. I don't usually do laundry on a Saturday morning because I know we have a few younger, working people in the building and I can do laundry any time of the week. But last Saturday was a bit different and I decided to start a load about 6:30 so I'd be done and out of the way of others about 8 A.M. We have a laundry room on each floor but only one washer and dryer in each of them.
Just as I was folding and hanging my last load, the laundry room door opened and a very angry middle aged woman started ranting at me. I have never seen her before so I'm assuming she's new in the building. She raved on about how she worked and needed to do laundry on a Saturday and how most of the rest of us tenants were seniors and didn't need that time slot. I foolishly tried to assure her that I rarely did my laundry on a Saturday but she remained angry and stormed away. From first being surprised, I then went to being angry at myself for trying to justify my laundry day to her. The laundry rooms here are for all of the tenants to use, even on a Saturday if that's what they choose. This woman was clearly out of line and I decided I would do a load of laundry this morning, too...Saturday morning.
Yes, the little bit of a bitch in me rose to the surface this morning and I'm not really happy I allowed it to happen but, once in a while some people need to be taught a lesson. Now to contain that mean little devil.
There is a big to-do on the internet about how a young woman wore an Asian dress to her prom and that somehow insulted their culture. Why do some people look for things to be offended by? Asian people wear thug attire and the thugs don't become offended. Asian people wear western clothes and we don't become offended. I don't get it.
I keep seeing jokes about how easily offended people have become and it's really kind of silly. Things that should offend you, like murder and torture, get less press time than what this young lady has gotten because of a dress she chose to wear.
I think we just might be becoming a society of sissies, concentrating on what doesn't matter and ignoring the bigger picture because it's too hot to handle. When we see photos of young soldiers in combat attire trudging through jungles and then hear how some colleges want crying rooms for the students, it makes you see that our society is running a little off the rails.
Of course, I hate the idea of a young person going to war and I think a young person with emotional problems would do better going for a walk in nature but many won't agree with me.
Back to the dress. I'm one who loves all things Asian because they are beautiful. The young lady who wore the dress must have thought so, too, and it's a compliment to the Asian culture that she chose to wear it. No-one should feel offended because no offense was ever meant.
I've been so focused on my health issues that I've barely glanced at the world situation lately. Apparently life, death, and taxes continue no matter what you're focused on. Too much news time is still being wasted on Trump's ex-mistresses. Who cares?? Wars are still ravaging many countries and we seem unable to stop the mayhem. This has been going on forever and doesn't seem to have slowed as of today. People still fight and kill over greed and religion even if it means they destroy their country in the process.
I'm always trying to figure out why we're here. Are we an experiment and we've failed or are we entertainment for some super race that dumped the worst of the human race here on earth because we couldn't stop fighting and killing each other? Since wars have been waged from as far back in earth's history a we can go, we are a ferocious race that doesn't seem to get better over time...and lots of it.
We Canadians like to think we're a nicely socialized population and we are for the most part. There are social rules we try to abide by but many or most of us still like to break those rules. If I was living in one of those horrible wore torn countries, I'd still prefer to come and live in Canada, though. We may have our faults but this is still a darned good country to live in.
Yes, the world keeps on turning no matter where we are or what we're doing. Wars are waged and babies are born. Careers are begun and funerals are held. Now, if only each new generation would arise with gentler genes.
I'm pretty much back to feeling the wonderful way I usually feel but I see my family doctor today for a regular check-up. I hope he sees what I see. Then I have an appointment with the hematologist on Monday and I'm going to tell him I don't want to be sent for any tests...he is planning on me having a catscan because he didn't know what was wrong with me. I feel just about my normal self and I don't see why a woman my age needs to take time out of my life for tests. Of course, my innards aren't perfect...I'm 77 years old, for heaven's sake. But, if I'm feeling good, happy, and productive, shouldn't I just be left alone by doctors?? My worry is that the hematologist will dump me as a patient if I refuse to do his tests. Since I have CLL in a mild form but it could become a problem, I don't want to be dumped. But I also don't want to take any more tests so we'll just have to see how this all turns out.
The most important thing is that I'm feeling darned good! This could be from the iron supplement which I'm hoping is strengthening my red blood cells and I will continue with it until told I don't need it. But, no more tests, thank you!
Update: I may feel good but my doctor thinks I'm bleeding internally...extremely low iron count...and wants me to have a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. So much for refusing any more tests! I'm at a loss right now wondering what I should do but I won't make any decisions until I see the hematologist on Monday.
I'm on the 6th floor of my building but I knew squirrels could come up that high because my neighbor on the 8th floor had a squirrel's nest on her balcony. I've seen squirrels running around on a brick wall so I knew they would be able to just walk up as high as they wanted. So I wasn't really shocked when I saw a squirrel on my balcony yesterday, just angry. I hate squirrels.
I opened the screen door to try to chase it away but it was aggressive and actually jumped toward me. What is it with aggressive squirrels these days...even moving into a lady's trailer at the park! Anyway, I had nothing to throw at the damned squirrel but some hot chocolate Keurig cups I didn't like but that seemed to do the trick. Knowing their habits, though, it will come back.
This morning I checked to see if there was a nest at the end of the balcony where I haven't cleaned up from winter yet but there was nothing there. I plan on buying a spray to deter squirrels.
And now another thought. I live right next to a beautiful ravine that offers lovely scenery but I know that critters must live in there, too. Apparently we have a rat infestation in my city and I'm thinking, if a squirrel that is a rodent can walk up the wall to my 6th floor balcony, so can a rat. I'm not happy and can't wait to buy that squirrel repellent.
I've questioned everything all of my life, seldom taking anything at face value. The behaviour of some people absolutely astounds me and I'm at a loss to find any logic to what they do.
Take, for instance, the guy who was so angry because he couldn't find a woman to have sex with him so he rented a van and plowed it into a group of pedestrians. In his little, ugly mind, how is that going to accomplish getting him laid? Well, maybe by the men he'll meet in prison but I don't think that was his intent.
Then there are the men who beat their wives in order to control them. Is it their purpose in life to have total control over someone or to have that someone love them? I'm thinking those men are so horribly insecure that they don't believe anyone would voluntarily love them or want to be with them.
Men aren't the only whackos. There are women who spend their lives acquiring so much "stuff" they can't possibly use, that they become hoarders. Is this a case of "whoever dies with the most stuff wins" or is it just misdirected desires?
I've seen kids having temper tantrums demanding a toy or even once a really fat kid screaming for an ice cream cone. The parents placated and babied the out of control child instead of teaching them decent behaviour. That child will be shocked when they go out in the world and find no-one else will tolerate their tantrums.
I watched a bit of a program last night about a young man who chose to rob someone and was sent to prison where he was brutally raped. The gist of the story was that he'd come from a deprived background and we should have sympathy for him. When he got out of prison, he continued being a criminal, going back to prison many times. He ended up committing murder so now he's in prison to stay. Don't they ever learn???
My worst vice was overeating. I know and knew then exactly why but I did it anyway because I felt that it really didn't matter. Instant gratification! Well, every single one of the choices we make do matter because there are consequences for each and every one of them. If we're smart, the consequences will be positive ones but, if we continue to bang our heads against a brick wall, we can't be surprised when it hurts.
I love Dr. Phil's response to people who try to justify their poor choices. He says, "how is that working for you?" and, of course, it's not. Common sense tells us that, if our current behaviour is causing us grief, then the logical answer is to change that behaviour.
Now, I'm far from perfect but I'm also kind of smart so I have changed my behaviour in many ways over the years to better my life. It's only logical.
Nash turned 7 in February when I was in Florida so we chose yesterday as our special day when we'd go out and buy him his birthday present. He wanted a remote control car. Okay. Then he changed his mind and wanted a drone but I helped change his mind back to the remote control car.
I picked him up at Kim's where he'd stayed overnight and she looked a little frazzled. She said he never stopped talking. Now, Nash is a really sweet little boy but he has a very talkative brother so, when he's the only kid around, he makes up for it by talking constantly...and it's very, very tiring.
He talked all the way out the door and to the car. He talked all the way to Walmart where we were going to get his car (ToysRUs has gone out of business so Walmart is all we have now). He talked all the way into the store and all the way through the store. He talked as he found the car he wanted and put it in the cart. He talked all the way to the cash register and all the way out to the car. He talked all the way to "Wendy's" where we would have lunch. I could only hope he couldn't talk with food in his mouth. He did.
He talked all through lunch and all the way out to the car where I was now in a hurry to return him to Kim. He was talking as I started up the car and I asked him if his seat belt was on. He answered, "yes, I have to keep myself safe". And I melted. He is one of the sweetest little boys in the world and I adore him.
He talked all the way home and all the way into Kim's house. She looked a little surprised to see us back so soon but I'm sure she understood. I made a hurried exit to the peace and quiet of the outside world. I am much too old to be around a kid who never stops talking but I do love him!
Happy belated 7th birthday, Nash!
Say all you want about the deficiencies of our Canadian health care system but, if you have the right family doctor, you have gold. I just wanted to add to my blogs about my latest health problems by saying that I have an absolutely wonderful family doctor who really does care about his patients.
Dr. Alipio is fairly new as my family doctor and the one who replaced my long time family doctor who was also wonderful. I've been fairly lucky to have good doctors although the ones I had earlier in life were not so wonderful.
It was the Emergency room doctors at the hospital who made the arrangements for me to see the hematologist because they were the first to see the low hemoglobin level. It bothers me that this information is not necessarily sent to my family doctor, though. Anyway, I also had bloodwork done last week especially to be sent to Dr. Alipio who had no previous knowledge about the low red blood count found at the hospital. I was away for a few days after those blood tests and came home to 5 messages on my answering machine, all from him or his assistant expressing concern about the hemoglobin count and wondering if I'd already seen the hematologist. He is definitely a hands on doctor who follows up on any inconsistencies and I appreciate that so much.
Yes, our health care system is flawed but, if you're lucky enough to have a good family doctor, it isn't so bad. I'll never receive a bill or a co-pay from any of the medical services I've used in the last couple of weeks.
Because my hemoglobin is very low, I've been given an iron supplement to increase it. I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but the extra iron in my blood seemed to make a tremendous difference in my stamina level within days. It will be interesting to see my next bloodwork.
My diet has been terrible for years but I honestly never realized what harm I was doing to my body by not getting enough nutrients into it with my food. I guess I thought our bodies could survive any kind of abuse but I know now that they can't so I'm making a big effort to eat better.
There is an expression, "you are what you eat", and I used to joke about being a giant potato chip but I'm wiser now and will eat more beef and vegetables. I do love salads but just haven't bothered to make them. I prefer chicken to beef but I like beef, too. Whatever it takes to increase my stamina is what I'll do because feeling exhausted all the time is not pleasant.
The iron supplement really surprised me, though, in how quickly it took effect. I also bought some Vitamin B12 because it's also good for the blood but have just started taking it so we'll see if it helps. In any case, I feel much stronger than I did last week and I'm giving the credit to the iron supplement.
It's almost always nice to discover you've lost a couple of pounds but not today. I have a few health issues and my appetite has been quite poor for a long time now and I had lost about 5-6 lbs. over the winter. I got on the scale this morning and discovered I'd lost another 7 lbs. in recent weeks...this isn't a good sign.
I've tired more easily all winter and then just found out my hemoglobin is lower than normal so I'm assuming this has a lot to do with the weight loss. I see the hematologist today so will find out more info. I was diagnosed with CLL (chronic lymphatic leukemia) 5-6 years ago but only needed a yearly check-up to see if it had progressed much. The white blood cells are still in the pretty good range but this is the first time I've had to be concerned about the red blood cells. I know I eat a terrible diet and maybe fixing that might fix the problem. Who knows?
I really hate going to doctors.
Update: After more blood tests and consultation with 2 specialists, they tell me they don't know what's going on with me so they're sending me for a catscan. They also gave me a prescription for Iron...OHIP doesn't cover that so it cost me $51 for 100 tablets. I understand it's not normal for my red blood cells to decrease so quickly (now 89) but I have high hopes this has much to do with my diet and my recent colds. They don't think it's related to the CLL, either.
I have another appointment with them in 2 weeks where they'll draw more blood to see if there is any improvement. Mind you, I feel fine other than having little stamina.
Weddings are not a ritual of the past...they are still a major event in our lives even though the process may be a little different from 50 years ago.
We have 3 weddings in the family this year and all of the couples chose to live together for a while before having the ceremony. I honestly think this is a wise thing to do because you can't really know a person until you've lived with them. Two couples chose to buy a house before the ceremony and that I'm not as sure about. In the case of the couples who did, their commitment to each other was strong enough to make it work but what if the arrangement didn't work out? What if they broke up and still owned a house together?
In any case, these 3 couples are not starry eyed teenagers. They are full grown adults all well set on their careers. I'm sure they have their own reasons for getting married versus continuing to just live together and it might have something to do with family values. Marrying is a full fledged commitment to join together on your travel through life. Living together and getting to know their partners well aided in them knowing who they want to travel with.
Yes, the ritual of legal marriage is still with us but I think today's brides and grooms are now more mature and ready for a lifetime commitment.
At least I now know why I've been extra tired lately. My hemoglobin is pretty low and I'm seeing the hematologist on Monday to find out why. You know, the minute you let anyone in the medical field look at your innards with exrays, catscans, MRI's, or testing your blood, they will find something wrong and try to treat it. I should be grateful we have socialized medicine in Canada but I really just wish I never had to see a doctor again.
The good news for me today is that I slept quite well using Kim's humidifier. I need to go out and do some shopping and I'm looking forward to lunch at "Wendys"...chicken strips and baked potato, of course. Kim is picking me up after work and taking me to Nick and Bev's new house for dinner. I'm so excited to see it! I want to plan some kind of plantings for their front garden, something low maintenance for sure. Nick's orders!
The sun is shining and it's much warmer out today, too. I guess we're getting a taste of Spring for a while at least. April is one of those months where you might get snow or heat any given day.
Funny how, when you're sick, nothing much else seems to matter but the stage of your illness. I haven't worried about politics, criminals, or whatever since I got sick. I have become the center of my universe.
My daughters check with me every day but it was my grandson, Matt, who called to check on me this morning. Matt and I have a strong connection. He's always been the one who needed me most even in his wild days as a young child. I always said that, if I didn't love him so much, I would have killed him in those days. And this morning alone, I reaped the benefit of all that love I have for him.
We've been having a little debate on Facebook about using a leash on small children when you're out walking. If ever in this lifetime a child needed one of those leashes, it was Matthew. We didn't use one on him but it would have been a good thing if we had. He didn't run but he hid which is just as frightening for an adult. He was always looking for a laugh and that got him into trouble a lot in his childhood.
Of course we compared him to his brother, Nick, who was born a middle aged man. Nick was always so mature and responsible that it was strange to see how wild and impulsive Matt was. They didn't get along when they were young but now they're the best of friends. I'm so happy about that!
Now back to the world outside...way too much news about Trump's affairs. Who cares?? Personally, I'd like to hear when Spring will really arrive and we can get rid of this cold, snow, and grey skies. April is often like this and I don't mind the cold as much as I do the dreary sky.
Today I'll do nothing much because I don't feel up to it. I'm about 90% better but that last 10% is tiring. The whole cold episode has been unbelievably tiring and I need to build up some stamina.
I feel a lot better today but still have that awful dry cough especially when I'm laying down. It's almost impossible to sleep. I propped myself up with pillows last night and managed to get a few hours sleep.
What worries me is that I've been taking an antibiotic for 5 days now and still not feeling the way I should. When I go into a coughing jag, it's very hard to get my breath and it sounds a lot like bronchitis. Since I sleep with my bedroom window open, I wonder if my neighbors think I have pneumonia with all this coughing.
I bought some Mucinex because it's supposed to loosen up the mucus but it hasn't worked very well...just a tiny bit. I have pills all over the kitchen counter, some prescription and some over-the-counter, and I hate taking any of them!
I never used to worry about catching a cold when I was younger. Being around snotty nosed kids meant you'd catch one sooner or later. Now I cringe when anyone near me coughs or sneezes. At my age, a cold is not as easy to overcome as it was when I was younger.
I have things to do and people to see so it's very frustrating being tied down with a damn cold.
This cold has been wicked. The original one I had 5-6 weeks ago was bad enough but I guess when you don't completely recover from a serious cold and it flares up it's going to be worse still.
I've been to Emergency a couple of times in my life but the other day when I had trouble breathing was very frightening for me. Breathing is life. What happens is that I cough and cough but nothing is expelled from my lungs...no sputum. It feels as though there's something there that just won't come up.
I started taking an antibiotic yesterday and thought healing wasn't far away but, when I went to bed last night, I started to cough again but this time it was worse. I got into a spasm of coughing which didn't give me time to draw in a breath and I seriously felt as though I was about to pass out. The thought that I should call 911 before that happened flit through my mind.
I didn't pass out but it scared me pretty badly. Something told me that I had to continue coughing to expel whatever was in my lungs...the hospital exray and the two doctors I saw on Friday had said my lungs were clear but something was there.
Still afraid of losing my breath again, I tried doing a lengthier cough which I thought might help dislodge mucus. It did just a little bit and for the first time I saw that the mucus was very sticky. I know this isn't a pleasant image but someone besides me might go through this at some time.
And so I coughed...and coughed...and coughed...and it worked just a little bit each time but it worked. Today I'm feeling much stronger but still coughing a bit (looser) and my sinuses are still clogged. It's cold as hell outside with snow, sleet, and rain but I'm not going out so who cares.
According to the weather report, Springtime temps might show up next weekend with a hint on Wednesday. I hope I'm feeling well enough to go out on Wednesday to get some chores done...banking, income tax, a few groceries, etc. Nothing that needs doing right away but soon.
I'm assuming that the reason my cough wasn't producing sputum was because it was sticking to my esophagus. In any case, the resulting inability to draw breath was awful. I don't know how asthmatics handle it.
Now, after treating the reader to some icky graphic descriptions, I hope the worst is behind me and that I learned something from my illness.
If you're ever feeling foolish enough to think you don't need family or friends, try being sick all by yourself with no-one to care.
Yesterday my Kim quickly left work to take me to the hospital and spend 6 hours with me there. Today my Cindy picked up a drug prescription for me and then made me a huge pot of chicken soup. I needed some medical information and Shelley answered right away (she's living in Tampa). These are my daughters and there is no question I have been blessed with 3 of the best.
When I was sick in Florida last month it was friends who are almost like family who went out of their way for me...some bringing food, some bringing drugs (legal, LOL!), and one bringing me flowers.
I am blessed!
I was pretty sick yesterday morning, sick enough to call my family doctor. He wasn't in the office in the morning but I got to see him first thing in the afternoon...not bad for socialized medicine, right? He's such a sweetheart and was a little concerned with my ultra rapid heart rate (probably caused by my decreased inability to breathe) so he sent me to Emergency. I drove home and phoned Cindy to take me there but she didn't get the message so I called Kim. She's the lone office employee at her job most of the time so I really didn't want to drag her away from it but she has wonderful employers who told her to just go!
We went to Juravinsky because I don't like the General Hospital which is closest to me. I told the admitting nurse that I was dying (joking, of course) and hoped that would get me through the system faster. Waiting times at our hospitals are actually outrageous and we ended up spending 6 hours in order to get an exray and bloodwork done before I was diagnosed with a sinus infection (maybe) but also found to be quite anemic. The doctor gave me a prescription and we took it to the nearest Shoppers drugstore where I too late discovered it was for amoxicillin and I'm allergic to pennicillin so I just bought an over-the-counter drug for sinus cold. I don't know if I can get the on-call doctor to give me another antibiotic today because it's Saturday. I might have to wait until Monday and have my family doctor do it.
I actually feel a bit better today but my sinuses hurt so I should be using an antibiotic. The over-the-counter Tylenol has helped but it won't cure an infection.
Now, being anemic is fairly new for me but it was pointed out at my last physical in October. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the CLL but the hospital doctor suggested I might need a blood transfusion. I always knew it's best to stay away from doctors because they will always find something bad about your health you'd prefer not to know.
Anyway, I slept well last night but was wide awake about 4 A.M. so I just stayed up. I'll call the on-call doctor later and hope for the best but I can tolerate how I feel right now because it isn't near as awful as I felt yesterday. Just being able to breathe through my nose means I'm getting more oxygen and I was not doing it well yesterday.
I believe this latest episode with the cold and infection was caused by the cold I had last month not completely going away. That seemed to last about 10 days but did linger on somewhat until flaring back up again. And there lies the problem.
My plans for this weekend are to do nothing much but rest. I'm good at that!
I can't believe this darned cold I had over a month ago didn't quite heal and now it's back again. I was told the cough would remain for 3-6 weeks so I didn't worry when I kept coughing but my sinuses have been blocked up the whole time and I should have realized this means it's probably an infection.
Yesterday I felt like crap and today is only a tad better so I'm going to call my doctor and ask if he will prescribe me an antibiotic over the phone...they used to do that all the time but now they seem to want to see you first. I feel like crap and don't want to go out...I also don't feel alert enough to be driving so that means having to get Cindy to leave work to take me to the doctor's office. I hate this!!!
Remember when doctors made house calls? I understand that times have changed and their time is very valuable but what about people like me who, today, don't feel well enough to go out? Would a doctor tell you to go to Emergency if you feel too sick to come to their office? There's not a chance in hell that I'd go to Emergency and sit in the waiting room for hours feeling like I do now. I guess I'll find out if my sweet young doctor will prescribe for me over the phone when I call him at 9 A.M.
I really hate inconveniencing my family and I don't think it's wise to expose Cindy to my germs. Maybe I'll just drive myself if I have to do that.
My recent cold has renewed itself and I can't sleep. Since we're going to have about another week of rain or cloudiness, I can sleep in later this morning without the bright sunshine (left in Florida) to wake me up. I hate sleepless nights but they're not so bad when you're able to nap all day if you want to.
One of the reasons I couldn't fall asleep is because I keep organizing in my mind how I'll move the spare bedroom furniture around to clean the floor. And then how to arrange it because I'm getting a huge wall shelving unit (5' x 5') to hold my craft items more neatly. The logistics of it all just keep rolling around in my mind and that's why I'm wide awake and playing on the computer at 3:09 A.M.
I took my income tax papers to Craig today and I'm really hoping to get a nice refund back like I did last year. My income is much the same...pensions don't rise much each year...so I should do okay. I went with Faye and then we went out for lunch. I rarely go out for anything around lunchtime without eating at a restaurant.
I think I'll try going to bed and watching T.V. for a while. Maybe I'll fall asleep for a few hours.
I feel passionately about certain things and I speak up about them, maybe not as tactfully as I should but what I say is what I feel. My Cindy asked me a favor and that was to stop being so political. She sees me getting myself into hot water probably with my family when I speak out about certain things and she is attempting to protect me. I'm not sure I can just shut up.
The way I see it is that every one of us have unique views of the world we live in but that is only a part of what we are. Most of the people I dearly love don't share my political or social views but I love them anyway. I just ignore what I don't agree with in them because I know that, for the vast majority of their make-up, they are wonderful people. None of them and definitely none of me is perfect.
One of my big problems is that it's sometimes difficult for me to make myself understood and some people take what I say the wrong way. Shelley and I had a discussion about the gravity of the horrors that have happened to black slaves and I mentioned that the Irish went through similar situations when they were brought here as slaves. I'm not sure but I think she equated the numbers with the gravity of the situation. I stressed that one black slave and one Irish slave suffered equally but that didn't mean I discount the numbers. I obviously wasn't able to express myself properly because Shelley didn't understand what I meant but Cindy did. Maybe I'm not making myself clear right now but I'm doing the best I can.
Any time a person is enslaved, preyed upon, harmed or murdered because of their skin color or ethnicity is a shame on the human race. Our society should have evolved by now to a place where everyone is equal and have equal rights. That we haven't risen far enough up the evolutionary scale might be because we are, as human beings, too flawed to achieve perfection no matter how much time passes.
If I point out inequality for any facet of our population except blacks, it doesn't mean I'm racist. It simply means I'm pointing out inequality in another facet of the population. It sounds so simple to me but apparently not to some who read my words differently than I intend them.
I want a day when the only thing that matters in a person is their character and nothing else. I won't live to see that day and I'm afraid my children and grandchildren won't, either.
And, yes, I will always comment on what I feel strongly about, Cindy, but I'll try to be more aware of how my words might be taken.
You just can't say enough about how important "home" is or how wonderful it is to be there. Home is where you are. Home is where you keep your best stuff. Home is your comfy place. I just got home and I'm loving every second of it, even though I haven't cleaned up all the winter dust yet. I actually haven't emptied the car trunk completely yet, either, but it will get done. Where I'll put everything might be a problem but that, too, will be sorted out.
For whatever reason I've craved to be home all winter. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy my Florida family and friends or the mostly warm weather. I just felt an unexplained need to be home so, now that I'm here, I feel relaxed and just where I'm supposed to be.
I started spring cleaning this morning and got the livingroom and bathroom mostly done and some floors washed. I like to work on one room at a time and will finish off the livingroom tomorrow and maybe start my bedroom. The spare bedroom will be last. The kitchen, of course, is sort of a messy receptacle of cleaning supplies until they can be put away. It's clean but the counter is piled with cleaners and income tax papers for the moment. I do have my system and it works pretty well.
One thing I haven't done yet is to get groceries except milk for coffee and potato chips for snacks. This could force me out of the house tomorrow to buy more groceries.
By the time I get my apartment and home life organized, it will truly be springtime and warm.
Life is good!
What a wonderful day! Faye and I drove over in the mid morning...perfect and beautiful Florida springtime day. It was great to see Cindy and Kyle who were down for a week's visit, too. John, who has a very demanding and important job tried his best to keep the day free to celebrate Shelley's birthday...they have one of the best marriages ever.
Shelley and John took all of us to the Columbian restaurant in Ybor city...a gorgeous place...and then we shopped in the attached store which specializes in gorgeous pottery and cigars. We bought pottery!
Then home to relax or nap until it was time to head over to Clearwater where we took the dinner cruise...my first one. Nicole and Sam zipped over after work to join us, too. For them it was a 3 hour drive after work in heavy traffic but they made it!!
The cruise was lovely, the food was lovely, and the weather couldn't have been better. Shelley's 54th birthday was a great success.
We went back home and watched a Spanish redo of and old comedy sitcom and it was pretty funny. It was mostly in English but did have subtitles, too. After that it was bedtime for all of us and I had the best sleep I'd had in ages.
Today we all came back to my trailer so Kyle could see it. Funny, I've had the trailer since 2000 and Kyle has never made it here before. Then off to do a bit of shopping for baby clothes for Nicole's sister-in-law's new baby girl. OMG! Someone in my family has to have a baby girl so I can shop for those cute little clothes!!
We still had some time before meeting at Nicole's house. We were going out for dinner again! So we went to a little bar in the strip mall and had drinks. I wasn't driving so I had my favorite...gin and tonic. Lovely!
We then drove to Nicole's house so Cindy and Kyle could see her new bathroom and then off to the restaurant for dinner! Since there were now 6 of us and Cindy's car only held 5, Nicole had to take her sweet little red Miata convertible and I chose to go with her. What fun!!!
Sam met us at the restaurant...the same Thai restaurant we went to last week and just loved. I'm definitely going to the "Lemon Grass" when I get back to Canada. Thai food is delicious!
Driving home was pretty hilarious with us women joking about our sexual exploits and Kyle trying not to throw up. Nothing outrageous was said but sons, grandsons, and nephews don't want to hear stuff like that. He is sooooo cute!
You would think with all the excitement and busy day that I would sleep like a log but no. I was wide awake at 4 A.M. and up at 5:15 A.M. There is a lot of work to do today in packing up and closing down things in the trailer but I'm hoping to do all that and still get a nap in this afternoon. There are many things on my list to get done but none of them take much time so that's a good thing.
I want to get on last card game in with friends tonight, too, so I'll need that nap. I'm quite excited about heading out for home on Saturday morning and hope to be in Canada on Sunday. We'll do our best!
Believe it or not, there are a ton of things that have to be done to secure the safety of the trailer before it's closed up for the summer. Heaven help anyone who neglects to turn the water off at the main shut-off. I keep a list and follow it to the letter.
Because there are many little details to look after, I tend to do a little at a time over the last week. Yesterday I stored away some patio chairs and one patio table, leaving one patio table and 2 chairs out for Faye and me to use. This morning I began bagging dishes we won't be needing again. I like to put lots of things in bags so the summer bugs can't get on them. Ick!
The last item that needs doing is that one of shutting the water off at the main but, because I'm afraid of snakes, I can't do until it's light outside. That means we can't head home until almost full daylight...we'd lose a half hour driving. Dear Dee has offered to come over and turn the water off for us so we can get an earlier start this year. My anxiety to be home is still as strong as ever so the earlier we leave the better.
I've already attended to the utilities, the summer schedule for the bug man, and the cleaning and power washing for when I come back in December so some very important items are already done. It's the little things like laying out pans of kitty litter and charcoal, covering the toilet basin and tank with plastic wrap, covering the furniture with sheets, etc., etc., etc. that have to wait until later in the week or even on the day we leave. Without a list, I'd be sure to forget something important and then fret about it all summer.
I remember asking Dennis to show me what to do to close down the trailer and him being very angry and saying I'd never need to know because he'd always take care of it. Well, he's been gone almost 13 years and I've been the one taking care of it all. Hmmm!
It isn't a big job, it's a many little things job.
This was our final Friday coffee morning of the season and even sparser because many have already left for home. We got 2 hubbies (only allowed on the final day), Myrna's husband, Wendell, and Kathy B's boyfriend, Scott. It's always nice to see men who are comfortable in the presence of a bunch of yakking women. We also had our obligatory Irish Cream for our final coffee morning but I might have been the only one who indulged.
Our numbers have dwindled from years past but the ladies who remain still warm my heart. They are all treasures!
