Wednesday, February 21, 2018

February 21, 2018: Snow?!!

This morning I woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland.  I turned on Good Morning America.  The outside audience was in shirt sleeves.  That's just backwards - Portland is supposed to be mild.

The local news reports that this weather is unusual.  It was in the 60's last week.

I've had to cancel my PT yesterday and today.  Since I'm hibernating in the house I've been working on organizing little stuff.  Why do I have all this jewelry?  I had already disposed of tons of it before my move.  Now I'm getting ready to send half of what's left to thredup.com.  At least I'll get a couple dollars for it.  What they don't accept, they donate.

Tomorrow I was scheduled to take a bus trip to Tilamook.  Tilamook is near the coast and there is a big creamery there.  It will most likely be canceled.  The bus is supposed to leave from a community center.  That center is closed until noon today.   It might snow again tonight.

I am almost ready to post pictures of my house.  Every time I work on one room the whole house gets messed up.  Last night I had to throw all my boxes of sorted jewelry into a bin so I could use my bed.

How can I throw away a cup my son, Kevin made me for Christmas ten years ago?   Or the reindeer Andy made from clothespins in preschool?  All the gifts I've received I cherish.  Then, of course, there's the stuff I've collected.  I got rid of most of my once extensive cat collection.  But, I've kept the Catwoman and pink poodle things.  I couldn't give away the dolls I've made and collected.  They're in a clear bin in the garage.

I still hope to make displays with the miniatures I've amassed.  They, too, are in the garage.  I've kept my oil pastels and drawing pencils.  I'd like to take up drawing again someday.

I have gone from 6 large bookcases of fabric to 3.  The sewing group I joined brings in things to share and swap at their meetings.  I can't carry it all at once so I take a bag of it every month.

I went into the local arts and crafts store with virtual blinders on.  I asked the salesman to take me directly to Modpodge and that is all I bought.  The same with the huge Fabric Depot - I bought only belting to make Sweetsie a new harness.

Growing old is tough.  It's the letting go of so much of one's past.  I have my dad's World War II pin, my mom's years of service at Sibley's awards, the baby book my mom made for me.  It's hard to let go of these things.  I am trying to choose just a few select things and discarding the rest.  It's only fair to my sons to minimize my possessions.  I don't want them to have to deal with too much stuff after I die.

Keeping some of my memorabilia is a form of self love.  It's important.


Monday, February 19, 2018

February 19, 2018

Since I stopped pushing myself so hard, I'm feeling much better.  It also helps that the stuff I need inside the house is now out of the garage and even in their proper rooms.

My sewing room is now 98% completed!   My living room is 100% completed.

My daughter in law, Tomoko has been a fantastic help to me.  She hung pictures for me, carried boxes in and out of the house.  I couldn't do all this by myself.  My son helps out when you can.

Yesterday I finished emptying out the closet in my "closet room."  Some things I boxed up  that I don't need now and put them into clear bins in the garage.

I put excess stuff - suitcases, pillows, etc - from my bedroom closet into the closet's closet.  I put my filing cabinet and extra towels in there.  I still need to organize my jewelry.

I had my pictures in the bedroom and living room hung.  The excess (not as nice) pictures in the garage.  I enjoy parking in a decorated garage.  I need to have shelving built in the garage to store all the clear bins.

Now I have my closet room to straighten up.  I need to utilize the space better.

My kitchen needs a pantry.  I found one online at Lowe's.  I'd go look at it today but the roads have ice and snow all over them.  I got up too late to hear the weather forecast.  Maybe I can get there later this week.
Right now I have excess kitchen stuff on a rolling cart in the middle of my small kitchen.  I have to push it aside to get into one of the cabinets.  A pantry could hold all that stuff.

If it stays icy outside tomorrow, I'll cancel my PT appointment.  The PT office is on the other side of town that stays icy longer.

That will give me one more day stuck in the house so I might just get this house finished this month!

My son Kevin says he will work on my yard.  He enjoys yard work.  Plus then he can plant more vegetables over here.  I've got a larger yard.

My poor little Sweetsie is bored today.  I only have the dog walker come over twice a week.  It gets expensive.

It had started to get springlike before yesterday's snow.  But, at least it's not raining!


Thursday, February 1, 2018

February 1, 2018: Giving in

This week I have really slowed myself down.  I'm so wanting to get back to a normal life but I can't yet.  The pain was so bad for most of December and January.  It would feel like I had a charlie horse from my waist to my knee.

One day a couple of weeks ago I used my walker to go to Walgreen's.  It's not far away.  I rested in the pharmacy after I picked up my prescription.  As I started to head back home,  my muscles seized up and I had to limp even with the walker.  I had to call Kevin to pick me up.  Luckily it was a Saturday so he wasn't at work.

I started paying closer attention to when the muscle cramps really got bad.  Now I'll be active for about half an hour then rest for one to two hours.  That has helped a lot - physically anyway.

It bugs me that my house is still disorganized and often messy.  That's just not my style.  Hopefully, this recuperation period will end soon so I can get back to near normal.

I'm almost done unpacking boxes.  I've been unpacking in the garage and bringing things in a little at a time.  I keep an empty box in my car so I can fill it up for charity as I unpack.

I've also started repacking some things into clear bins and labeling them.  Maybe I'll have to donate them later but not just yet.

Having my house interior painted pink has really paid off.  There are lots of dreary days in Portland.  But it's always cheerful inside!