November Check-in

My life has been busy, and full of routine; which I think is good.  I'm teaching Tai Chi twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday.  On Tuesday, I go out to dinner after class.  It's something that Bob and I always did after Tai Chi.  Since I volunteer to teach, it's my reward.  Usually one of the class members, who is also one of my neighbors, Agnes, joins me for dinner.

Another one of my routines is walking the dogs.  This is important for all three of us to get exercise.  In the morning, I usually put them in the car and we go to one of the nearby parks.  I have four parks that give us great exercise, two even have stairs, which are a real challenge with two dogs!

Since I blogged last, we were able to inter my Mom's ashes.  She passed away in September, in Oregon, and it took some time to work out all legal and logistic problems of burying her ashes in California. (Mom had already made all the arrangements to be interred next to her 2nd husband.)  My sister brought the ashes down and we had a small ceremony with my daughters.

I've lived in my house for 17 years and I've decided to get the exterior painted, and upgrade the garage door.  The painters come tomorrow and the new garage door is in place already.  The old garage door had been damaged twice in 17 years, so it made sense to replace it when I was upgrading the exterior.  I'll be happy to be rid of the white rain gutters and the stucco color will be a bit darker.  This is when I miss Bob the most.  I'm good with making decisions, but I loved bouncing ideas off of him and getting his feedback.

We're expecting El Nino this winter and I've had the roof inspected.  There were no problems.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,

Pathetic

I'm pathetic.  Wednesday will be my 71st birthday and it will be the first time I've ever been alone on my birthday.  I've been trying to come up with a game plan, something to do on Wednesday that's not my normal day.  Normal days I eat, walk the dogs a couple of times, work on quilting projects, read and maybe watch some TV.

First I tried setting up a massage, I have a Groupon that I could use.  Her first available appt. was on Thursday, so I booked that.

Then I thought, maybe a facial - that would be a great treat.  She was booked until the 30th!

The third try and this is where I'm getting pathetic, I need to see the attorney who is taking care of my sister's and my interest settling our Dad's estate.  At least it would get me out of the house!  But, he can't see me on Wednesday, but Monday will work.

Last week, The Colony news arrived in the mail.  I live in a 55+ senior community, The Colony, and this is our monthly newsletter put together by a great team of volunteers.  On July 8th, my 71st birthday, there is going to be a movie shown in the Auditorium.  Woo hoo!  It happens to be a movie I want so see and missed when it came out in '09, The Soloist.  I really don't care, I will go no matter what was showing; just to have something "special" to do!  The other two movies being shown this month are Atonement and 5 Flights Up.  I'm going to go to those, too.  It's good to get out of the house, and the movies are free, as is the popcorn.

I am considering bringing cookies or cupcakes to the Auditorium, but that might be pathetic, too!

The Statue of Liberty has nothing to do with this post, but I took this photo on 5/30, while in NYC, and I thought I'd share it.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,

Four weeks

The last four weeks have been a whirlwind.  Here's some of the things that happened:

• When I got the call, at 1130 PM, that Bob had passed away, I was told I had 4 hours to get his body moved.  I was in shock, Bob and I had been joking that day, and he had been planning for the future.  But, 4 hours!
• Ten years ago we did a Family Trust and part of that included Advance Directives and our wishes for after death.  This made my task so easy.  Bob wanted to be cremated and buried at the Riverside National Cemetery.  He also wanted no service, just family members present.  That's exactly what we did,  There were a flag folding and presentation, a 3 volley rifle salute, and some simple words.  This took place two weeks after his death, the mortuary took care of all the arrangements, but the National Cemeteries are so busy, up to 80 burials a day, that date was the soonest.
• For the first two weeks, I really paced myself.  There were tons of tasks and notifications to be accomplished, but I didn't want to overdo and exhaust myself.  Plus, from being a caregiver and hospital visitor, my home had really taken a beating.  I'd been advised by one of my daughters that it really needed to be taken care of.  I did a deep clean; it was lots of work but rewarding.
• The first notification was, immediately, to our daughters.  The next day I first called our wonderful Aunts, Vicky and Lorraine, then our sisters, and the final "relative" call was to my Dad's second wife.  Her response was, "What do you want from me?!"  I assured her that I didn't want anything; that I just wanted her to know Bob had died.  She's a horrible person and I don't need to contact her ever again.
• While Bob was sick, I was his pharmacist.  Right after he died I gathered as many prescriptions and injection paraphernalia as I could find and boxed everything.  I was still finding more Rx stuff for the next 3 weeks.  I now have 5 medium size boxes of medical Rx to dispose of.
• I also have 3 drawers of first aid supplies I want to give to someone.
• One of the notifications was to the Pension Dept at LAPD.  They immediately withdrew the pension direct-deposit that had just been made.  I spoke to them today, and I should have my pension by April.  So I'll be without income for 3 months.
• A man had been wanting to buy my car since last Autumn, he called me right after all this happened and I sold him my 9-year old car for a good/fair sum.  Now, I'm driving Bob's SUV.  No sense in having two vehicles when there's only one driver.
• The past two weeks I've been going thru the closets and drawers and getting rid of clothing.  I got rid of a lot of Bob's clothing, but not all.  It's OK with me to have reminders around.  I found many brand new, still in plastic wrap, items of clothing, mainly pants and shorts.  I was really surprised.  Everything went to Goodwill, nine 32 gallon bags, so someone will have some nice duds.
• I use "the office" for my sewing room.  There's actually a desk, a computer desk, printer stand, a bookcase and my sewing table in there.  About 7 years ago Bob purchased a used 4 drawer file cabinet and moved that in, also.  I really hated that file cabinet, I had a two drawer file cabinet, tucked away in the closet that worked just fine.  This week I emptied the 4 drawer and wrangled it out to the garage, I'll either give it away or donate it.  
• We received a letter from Anthem Blue Cross, addressed to Bob.  It essentially stated that they were told by Medicare that Bob was dead, and extended their condolences.  But, they stated, is this info is incorrect, let us know.  

That's what I've been doing this past four weeks.  There's still lots to do, but nothing is urgent.  This week I have a couple of appointments and I'm going to the Parkinson's Support Group, to lead Tai Chi.  Next week I'm going to start teaching Tai Chi, again, and I hope to start a quilt.  Not much sewing has been going on.  But, it will be good to get back into a routine.

The photo was taken on Bob's 70th birthday, 4 1/2 years ago.  If you'd like to know more about Bob, here's the link to his obituary.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,

Learning

Once a month I attend our local Parkinson's Support Group.  I'm considered part of the "staff", because I lead Tai Chi exercises.  I've been going for over a year, now, and each time I go I learn a lot.  I think it's good to always be learning.

This month the speaker was a Movement Disorder Specialist.  That means he's a Neurologist who specializes in helping people who have difficulty moving their bodies thru their daily lives in a normal manner.  These are some of the things I learned at the meeting, that apply to everyone, not just Parkinson's patients.

• One of the best ways to stave-off dementia is to learn a 2nd language.  People who are bi-lingual delay dementia by up to 20 years.
• Up until about 10 years ago, it was thought that brain cells could not re-new themselves.  Once damaged they stayed damaged.  About 10 years ago this was proven to be faulty knowledge.
• It's good for your brain for you to try new things or to change-up your routines.  For instance, altering your exercise routine on a regular basis is good for your brain, plus good for your body.

I'm throwing in some photos from a recent walk because I think all post should have photos.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,

Interesting stuff

from my garden

I've just gotten finished with lunch and my day has been pretty interesting.  I live in a large, 1600 single homes, senior community, called The Colony in Murrieta.  This is where we've lived for 15 years and where I teach Tai Chi.  Bob and I both love our community.  One of the things we have is an emailer group; kinda like Angie's list, but free and there's more that just recommendations, but no jokes and nothing political.  It's called The Colony Emailers.

At the San Diego Zoo

Two women called, whom I don't know, one wanted to know if I had a current phone number for a landscaper/handyman, Efron, that many people use.  The other woman wanted to know if Bob and I were happy with the new doctor we started using.  I chatted with each woman giving them the information they needed.  Both women were widows, and happy to chat away.  I've found that people who live alone relish any interaction they get a chance to have.

from Top of  the Rock in NYC.

The other thing that happened took place in the swimming pool, during water aerobics.  A woman I've only seen once before asked me if I came to the class all the time.  The class meets M-W-F, and I told her we go as often as possible, and on T & Th, we go to Tai Chi.  She told me that she tried Tai Chi, but didn't like the instructor!  (I didn't say anything about me being the instructor).  I listened politely, and she went on and on, finally she asked me if the class had "improved" since she'd gone, nine years ago.  I smiled and said, "No, it's just about the same."  I don't remember her ever attending the class, and I certainly don't want her giving it another try.  Three of my students also go to water aerobics and were mortified.

the Blue Moon, from last night

Now, I'm off to work on some quilt blocks.  I threw in the photos, because every post needs photos.

my garden, again.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,

It's about time

I haven't had a moment to spare, lately.  That's probably not true, but that's how I've felt.  If you're a FB friend, you already know that we lost an entire weekend going back and forth to the ER, because Bob had the tiniest injury on his knee, about a 1/16 of an inch, and it wouldn't stop bleeding.  Dripping on the floor bleeding.

What else?  Just normal stuff; Water Aerobics has been kicking my behind 2 or 3 days a week.  I haven't lost any weight, but I've dropped a dress size!  Teaching Tai Chi/QiGong 2 days each week.  Leading Tai Chi Ball for the Parkinson's Support Group.  Going to doctors in San Diego, that takes the whole day.  Reading - the last three books were hard to put down.  I recommend you read them soon.

  

If You Were Here by Alafair Burke
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

I donate my finished books, usually to Murrieta Friends of the Library.  This week I donated the hardbacks from my "read" pile to them, and drove the trade paper copies to West Long Beach Neighborhood Book Swap, it's a cart in the neighborhood I grew up in.  The "old"  neighborhood has changed but, sad to say, I don't think it's improved.

Sewing, I'm making a quilt for one of my grandsons; the one who never ask for anything.  My sewing gets interrupted by life and games.  We live in a small house and I use the dining room as my cutting/design room.  My sewing machine and fabric are in the "office".  We don't really entertain, but we belong to two groups, one plays cards and one plays dominoes.  The groups rotate to each others homes for an evening of fun.  When it's our turn to host, I need to pack all the sewing paraphernalia and clean all the "fabric dust", (it's like faerie dust, but cotton), and get the house back to normal, whatever that is.

Since blogging isn't a business with me, it frequently takes a backseat to life.  I had a few comments in response to my giveaway of the small clutch I'd won.  The winner is Melissa, she doesn't blog anymore, but when she was a young adult, her blog was Mel Growing Up.  I've already emailed her.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,

Busy

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This has been a very busy week for me.

First off, I may have purchased some fabric.  I've been really good, this year about fabric purchases, but I seem to have fallen off the wagon.  Here's my latest, just this morning:

etsy

Can you blame me?  I love letters and text, not just on fabric, everywhere.

I put the finishing touches on three quilts that I got back from the long arm quilter.

Kites

Modern Rainbow Patchwork

Colorful Patchwork

The solid colors are the same in all three quilts.  They are in the shop, if you're interested.

Bob and I made two trips to San Diego for medical appointments, on Wednesday and Friday.  One for the hematologist and one for the G.I. doc, so he can get an infusion.  We can't do both in one day, even though they are less than a mile apart, because we never know how long each appointment will take.  Sometimes I go to the zoo, or just stroll around town, run errands and take photos.

On Thursday I had to cancel my Tai Chi class because we spent the day in the ER, at Loma Linda Murrieta.  Bob was close to fainting every time he tried to stand.  Plus he had a lot of pain in one knee.  The knee was the easy part, the ER doc was pretty sure it was bursitis, but couldn't do anything about it because of Bob's other medical conditions.  The near-fainting was due to too much potassium in his blood.  Too much potassium is caused by the kidneys not functioning properly.  And Bob's really don't work very well.  Of course, it's all because of diabetes.  {DON'T GET DIABETES!}  We were there all day.  The ER doc was careful and thorough, even calling Bob's other drs.

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To tell you to truth, I'm pretty tired today, but I just got an email from my LQS, local quilt store, that they are going out of business (they're going to spend more time with the grandkids), and everything is 40% off.  What is it they say, "No Rest For The Wicked".  I'm gonna be wicked and head to my LQS, just can't help myself.

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I just hope I didn't wear you out, reading this!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,

This is our week.

The Bob Report.  

He has a very long road to recovery, but each day he's getting a little bit better.  I'm very thankful for that.  This is how this week went.  Four days equaled five specialist appointments, one in San Diego and nothing scheduled today, YEA.

On Monday I asked Bob if it'd be easier to have a hand-held shower head.  He said it sure would.  He'd been having trouble with the shower, he could either stand to shampoo, or sit to clean his body, not both, not enough energy.  I called our plumber Phil, and asked him to purchase and install a new hand-held shower head.  (We really trust Phil.)  On Wednesday, Phil came and installed the new shower head.

On Tuesday, after Tai Chi, I picked Bob up to go out for a quick bite.  He's eating vegetarian, now, and he had his first Garden Burger and he liked it!  We played cards that night and dominoes last night, with our regular groups.  Everyone was happy to see Bob.

Speaking of vegetarian, I made a great Pasta e Fagioli, this week, you can find the recipe here.

The Jan Report

I've been doing a bit of crafty sewing, making some gifts.  I'm chomping at the bit to start a new quilt, but haven't found the time.  I'm also no longer unemployed.  B&N "suggested" I go on leave, instead of resigning, so I'm on leave, until I can go back to work.  (I still get my employee discount, too!)

I've been really busy, helping Bob.  He really is a lot of work.  I'm his chauffeur, chief cook/bottle washer, laundress, etc., but my main job is keeping everything organized.  His new meds and the times to take them required me to make an excel spread sheet, just so we could both understand what to take, and when!

You may be wondering why I included laundress.  I haven't washed Bob's clothes in about 40 years.  He has much  more laundry than I do, and he always has.   Bob was an athlete, and worked out, (soaked his workout gear with sweat), at least once a day, seven days a week.  He would change clothes 2 or 3 times a day.  A long time ago, I informed him that his dirty clothes were his responsibility.  He could wash them whenever he desired clean clothing, and if he wanted to wash the whites with the dark clothing, he could wear pink T's, if he wanted.  Now, he doesn't have the energy to workout, of course, or do his laundry; so I'm happy to do it.  He has two bins for his dirty clothes, I've insisted that he use one for whites and one for darks, to help me out, for some reason he had never thought of that!

I don't adhere to the above schedule, I'm fast and organized.  This is more Bob's MO!  LOL.

Be well and do good,

Long Story

Part One

About the same time I retired, 15 years ago, Avon announced their first 3-day Walk for Breast Cancer.  (Now, they just do 2 days.)  The walk took you from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica, 75 miles; and you had to donate, via pledges, $1500, in order to be eligible to walk.  I signed up!  I raised all the money and started training.

I am the only non-athlete in our family.  I have always lived with dancers, runners, swimmers and cyclist.  I figured with as much as I knew about training I could certainly walk 75 miles in 3 days.  Bob was so supportive, he signed on to volunteer, wherever they needed him, and he was my training cheerleader.

I started slow, walking around our block, that was only 1/2 mile, but hey, it was a start.  Then it was twice around the block, then I expanded to around the neighborhood.  Soon, I was up to 3 miles, no problem.  Then 4, then 5.  I complained to Bob that I thought I was going too slow, because all these other people were whizzing by me.  Bob the cheerleader told me that they were probably just going a short distance, fast; while I was going a long distance, and needed to pace myself.

We still lived in Long Beach when all this was going on, and it was really easy to train, whenever I wanted.  I could walk in the "heat", never 100 degrees, the rain, never freezing.  I could stop and buy water whenever I needed to, and usually find a bathroom, when necessary.

After several months, I was up to 8 mile walks, and I was loving it.  I felt so good.  Walking is a great way to see what's going on around your.  It's a great way to meditate.  It's good for your bones and for your waistline, too.  At the time I was still having daily migraines, I almost never had a migraine during all the training!  Walking ='d Love.

Then, my body rebelled against my walking.  It started with red patches just above my ankles.  I ignored them, didn't have any I idea what it could be.  I kept walking.  Soon the red patches moved up my legs, eventually all the way to my knees.  I still didn't know what it could be, so I went to the Dr.  She was a little puzzled, until she asked what my routine activities were.  When I told her I was walking long distances, she knew.

My body was sending out histamines; I was kinda allergic to walking, at least long distance walking.  She explained that it was like a repetitive motion injury, my body happens to be too fragile for long distance walking.  She gave me steroids to get rid of the hives, and told me that if I continued walking long distance my body might really rebel and I might have a heart attack!  This was such a blow, I was devastated.  It scared me, too.  I stopped walking.  I could walk 3 miles, that's my limit.  Bob and I traded places, he walked the Avon 3-day Walk, and I volunteered.

Part 2

You may be thinking, why is she posting about this, it happened a long time ago.  I'm sharing, because I still can't walk over 3 miles without breaking out in hives, sometimes up to my knees.  It still happens almost every time I go to NYC, it's such a walking town.

It also happens when I work at Barnes and Noble, especially during the holidays, when there are more customers to help.  Yes, I can walk over 3 miles inside of Barnes and Noble.  Who needs a pedometer when you have angry histamines!

The last two times I've worked, I've gotten hives, the last time they were up to my knees.  This is the first time, in over ten years, it's happened to me when I worked a non-holiday shift.  I'm thinking I might have to stop working.  I really don't want to, but it's definitely a possibility.  I love working at Barnes and Noble.  I've always thought I'd work there until I'm at least 70.  Life can be such a pisser!

photo source

Be well and do good,