For the sun shining after a few rainy days. The rain is due to come back tomorrow, so the sun is great to warm things up and let things dry out some.
A nice swim at the pool, and I had a lane to myself again. I think because of Christmas stuff, the pool has fewer people swimming.
Also, I did a nice walk at 6:30 am. It was very misty down at the park, and that made it seem mysterious. I was the only one there till just as I was leaving, and someone showed up.
For feeling, overall, pretty good these days. My foot seems ok. I wear my shoes in the house and only take them off if I’m on the couch, and that definitely has helped.
I’m back in the cooking mode, so I feel grateful for that. I look forward to menu planning and cooking. For a while, after B died, I just didn’t care much either way, so it’s nice to feel motivated again.
Frugal Girl has a good post on her blog to read. It’s about not comparing where you are in life to others, especially when we are all in different seasons of our lives. It helped me reframe some of where I am. Especially when it comes to traveling, money, and lots of other small things. I’d love to keep traveling like I did with Barclay in the RV, but I can’t trailer the RV. So, after I sell it this spring, how can I create a traveling vehicle? Also, I have a very small fixed income that got smaller after Barclay died( by 1/3 less). I am, though, very grateful that what I do get from SS pays the bills. So comparing myself to people still working and earning is a thief of joy and results in only negative thinking. It makes no sense to do those comparisons, as, like I said, we are all in different seasons of our lives. I will accept where I am and my limitations as well. I say limitations, as that is a fact of getting older. I can’t walk as far as I once did. I can’t do lots of things that even 5 years ago I could, such as getting down on the floor to clean corners or the floor. Nope, it’s not happening, and I accept that. ( maybe begrudgingly):)
I am only going to focus on what I can do as FG suggested. I am going to focus on my own internal process and do what I can to still live my best life. I can still do some traveling, it’s just how I can add that in and afford it. I can still do moderate walking, which is something I love, plus always reading and cooking. Those things don’t cost money and add joy to my life.
Yesterday, I went to the Roseville gym and library. I had about 5 books on hold that were due to come off the hold list. From there, I went to TJ’s to get a couple of gift cards to give my kids. I’ve been struggling with the whole gift-giving this year, especially with Barclay gone. I like giving my kids gifts and have always gone somewhat overboard. Nothing crazy, but still more than I can do now. So, in addition to the TJ’s card, I’m giving each some cash, for my son a dinner out with his partner, and my daughter to go and use at the nursery. It’s all a big adjustment, but necessary since money-wise, I can’t really do much more. I’m sure I will adjust and, in time, be ok with it. Since this is the first Christmas/Hanukkah without B, I’m quite emotional about it all. Time is a great healer, and I’m sure things will get easier as time goes by.
It’s finally raining here in N. California after a very beautiful fall break with lovely sun( at least here in the foothills, the valley has been socked in Tule fog). I’m not sure if I’m going down to the pool or waiting till tomorrow. It’s only 6:30, so I have time to get a sense of the day. I have some decluttering to do with some books and some of the Christmas things my son didn’t want.
My son took us to Grass Valley to see the Christmas decorations. It was lots of fun. He makes quite an effort to do things with me. There they are side by side. My lunch was delicious. A turkey green chili sandwich.
I’m thankful that what I had wasn’t a cold since I felt a lot better yesterday and today. I think it’s sinus because I still feel a bit of a sinus headache. Yesterday I only took an allergy pill no cold medicene so fingers crossed that’s all it is.
I am thankful I got a beautiful early walk, and I was the only one there. I saw the full moon briefly, but it was already on its way down.
I’m thankful all the bills are accounted for, although, again, there’s not much wiggle room. As long as things are accounted for, I’m ok. I’m still working on paying off the one cc that I had to put some of the big bills on, but I’m getting there. I do hate having a balance, but since I don’t have any backup, that’s what I need to do. I do hope next year I can swing doing cash envelopes for most stuff. I did have the property tax paid from an envelope, and most of the house insurance. So next year, that’s a real priority.
I’m thankful for a warm house. Our wood stove does a nice job, along with some space heaters. We don’t have central heating, so that’s what needs to happen. My daughter bought an oil space heater that looks like a radiator, and we’re experimenting with how well a job it does.
I’m thankful my car is still going great despite it being a 2014. I do hope I can keep it going for a while longer, since I’m not too sure how I’d buy a new( to me) car.
Well, that’s all from mi casa. What things are you grateful for? I’m always interested in peeking into other people’s lives.
I’m thankful for a break in the rain. I woke up to it raining and now at 12noon it finally has stopped. It’s still overcast but not cold.
I thankful my foot isn’t any worse and it feels slightly better.There’s not a lot of pain walking so that’s good. But I still will keep walking to a minimum till I get the Merrills Moab. I do plan on swimming/and the gym but I think that should be ok.
I’m thankful to feel good enough to go to Costco and do the pre Thanksgiving shopping. I got the pie to freeze and the potatoes. It wasn’t a big shop so that was nice. I did pick up a small Lego set for my son’s partner. They love Legos so that’s a good gift.
I’m thankful for all the small things that make up life. Early mornings, walks, coffee, good food, jazz in the afternoon( that was B and my go to every day.) I do miss going out for coffee together and of course taking Rubi out. But I’m grateful we had the time that we did with the trailer. The very first year 2021 ,this time of year, November, we headed down to Santa Barbara. Unbeknownst to us the spot I reserved was the BEST spot in the entire campground as it faced the ocean and was steps from the beach. Good times, and I miss them.
I’m grateful our house is warm and dry. Our neighbors, who are in their 90s, have tarps all over their roof. Just to be clear, they have children and grandchildren that live right near by to help but don’t except to put tarps up. sigh:((
The government has reopened, and hopefully, the services people need will happen quickly!! What a joke for trump, though. Let’s hope this comes back to bite him where it hurts with the LONGEST shutdown ever. Plus the damning Epstein reports. Will it bring him down? Probably not, unfortunately. sigh….
Hip Hip Hooray!!!!! My labs came back and went down!!!! not in the normal range but down 4.5 points to 21!!!! I’m over the moon. So. I get a reprieve for at least another month!!!!
I’ve adjusted quite well to my ResMed CPAP machine. Clearly, I had sleep apnea, and this seems to have relieved ALL the symptoms. As resistant as I was, now I’m glad I persevered. The one I have just has the pillows you put in your nose, so it is not claustrophobic. Overall, I’m pleased that it’s working. I haven’t noticed much difference during the day, though. Supposedly, you are supposed to feel less sleepy, which I didn’t have to begin with. Anyway, there’s an app to use to track sleep and use of the CPAP, and it’s fun to look at it.
Thankful for the pool as always. I went on Veteran’s Day, and holidays are hit or miss. This time was a hit, and I had a lane to myself. It was very nice.
Thankful for my kids helping when they can. I’m hoping my son comes up this weekend to do some stuff, but his partner just had surgery, so he’s been caretaking them. (non binary).
Thankful to be getting a little more organized. I redid my clothes in the closet, since most of B’s are not in there anymore. One side looks good, the other is still a mess. But I plan on working on that today.
I’m thankful that, even though it’s raining, I can use the treadmill to get some steps in. Rain is forecast for the whole day.
It’s been a while since I posted on Thursday, so I thought today would be a good day to do so.
I’m thankful this fall weather is so beautiful. Since I was born in the fall, I think fall is my favorite season. The colors around the yard and almost everywhere are full of yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. We haven’t gotten to planting the Chinese pistachio yet, but this weekend it’ll happen. I’m planning to put some of B’s ashes in the bottom of the hole since this is his memorial tree.
I’m thankful this week I’ve had a nice swim and a workout at the gym. I had to wait a bit for a lane, but then I got the lane nearest the stairs, which is my favorite lane.
I’m thankful, as always, for my two wonderful children. They help me out whenever they can. My daughter has become quite the handy person around here, fixing all kinds of things. The gutter she fixed now works well to drain the water in the right direction. My son comes over and does little things, too. He’s coming over on Saturday to take another load to the dump. This time it’s all the old scrap wood. So I appreciate he takes the time to help out here. I can understand now why people move to condos or just places with no or little maintenance. I know I probably couldn’t stay here if it was just me.
This weekend time changes, and I’m not thankful for that, but I’ll get used to it eventually. I guess it being light earlier will be nice, but dark at 5…(: 😦 It’s currently 6:30 and still dark. I’m going to wait a few more minutes to go for a walk.
I’m thankful that most of the things I’ve had to deal with, like changing me to primary, have been met with support and graciousness from the customer service people. Even changing the AARP was easy enough, and they even sent a sympathy card which was very sweet. Verizon was a challenge, and I didn’t end up changing much because it started to get way too complicated.
I still need to go to the bank to take him off the account, but I will make an appointment to do that. When I talked with them yesterday, the teller was very kind and told me what I needed to bring.
I’m sure there are a few outliers that still need to be dealt with, but that can come later.
I’m so thankful my LLS is back and I can give a sigh of relief that my UHC insurance will be covered. They increased my premium because it’s only me now.
The reality check is at our ages,72 and 74, there was no life insurance, no CDs to fall back on, no IRAs, no massive savings, just SS. The reality is we were never in a position to be able to have that kind of money. We really just got by. After my myeloma diagnosis in 2005, I couldn’t work at anything major, but when I got my little library job in 2007, that boosted my SS points, and that was the reason for doing that to some extent. Besides, I loved that job.
Fortunately, even with still having a mortgage, SS was enough to get by on. The reality of losing almost 1/3 of SS is tough, but I’ve mostly figured it out, and some bills are lower. This summer we’re watering way less and don’t have a vegetable garden( Barclay was starting to go downhill in the spring), and no one felt like gardening. So our water bill is less. Ditto with our Verizon bill because I cancelled his phone. Since my son is using the truck for now, he’s giving me money for that, which helps.
It’s difficult to be thankful right now when everything feels so bleak. But I must remember that this too will pass, and the pain of right now will also pass.
I’m thankful my doctor’s appointment went well. Honestly, as long as the Velcade is working, I’m extremely grateful. I don’t have a clue how long it will be effective, but there are other treatments that are still available. I just can’t think about that right now with everything else going on.
I’m grateful that the weather isn’t terribly hot, but it has been in the mid-80s. We’re still turning on coolers, but not til later in the day and only for a few hours. We’re still watering the yard every day but less than we normally would have to if it was 100 degrees.
I’m grateful that my daughter has had a break from work, and she has done so much around here. She has a number of shifts coming up, but this week has been so productive. Right now, she’s dismantling the chicken coop. B built it very well, and she’s having to take down each wall before getting to the roof. I thought it would be a good greenhouse, but really, it’s got too much ‘chicken’ left in it. The space will be nicer open.
I’m grateful for B’s oncologist who has been very supportive.
It was exhausting. Fortunately, today is a home day, just doing normal stuff. I need to vacuum and go through each room and tidy up. Mostly everything is fine, just a few hot spots.
I’m thankful to get out and do my short walk. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
I went for a walk already, and it was .55. So Saturday, my next walk day, I plan on doing .75 and see how that feels. Also, today I will do some PT exercises.
I’m thankful that B doesn’t need to go tomorrow for infusion. That’s a relief.
I’m thankful we have the AC units to cool the house, as it is going to be very hot tomorrow and Saturday. We are starting to water the yard more just to keep things going. Of course, that will increase our water bill.
I’m grateful for this lovely morning. I’ve been up since 5am and it’s so nice and quiet.
Most of the California poppies are done for now. these are coreopsis.
I am very grateful my Ortho appt went well. Here’s the scoop. The meniscus tear doesn’t ever heal, but strengthening the knee by exercises helps you regain some mobility. I started back in with the PT exercises and have slowly been adding one a day. The PA seemed to think I didn’t really need the PT appts since I can do what I have from before. But she did say she’d be happy to refer me if I wanted. She also gave me the steroid shot. She said there is another type of shot, too, if I wanted, but that requires insurance approval and takes a while. I said I’ll try the steroid shots for now. Overall, I was quite hopeful that I would be able to get back to my regular routine.
I’m thankful my son offered to take B to his appt. As it turned out, he needed a blood transfusion, so it ended up taking 5 hours. They didn’t even get home till 6:15. I would have been a basket case. He’s still declining, and his onc called yesterday, so I talked with her about how things are not going well. She hasn’t seen him physically, so she was concerned about how frail he is. She did say that the immunotherapy can take a few months to kick in, but the flip side is that the immunotherapy could be feeding the cancer. It’s all very depressing. She was going to get the PET scan moved up so we could see what is going on.
I’m grateful for the rain we had the other day. It helped water the yard and took down some pollen.
It’s a hard time right now, and I don’t expect things to get better anytime soon, but all we can do is be hopeful. And for that I’m grateful.
I've been married for nearly 20 years to a wonderful husband and I'm a mom to three great kids ages 17, 16 and 14. Oh, and I just happen to have cancer. Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of the blood that is currently incurable but IS considered highly treatable! My goal is to make people laugh, cry or feel a little less alone whether you are a mom, cancer patient or BOTH!
Tahoe Girl 