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!

January 23, 2018: Portland

Today was a good day.  Tomoko got her driver's license this morning!  I've been practicing with her for the past few weeks.  She made me proud -- she got an A on her first try.  We went to brunch at Elmer's to celebrate.

Now I want to share on the goofiness of Portland:

It rains a lot here, right?  You would think people would park in their garages so they wouldn't have to walk to their cars in the rain.
NO.  The houses are so small that their garages have to hold lots of their possessions.
There was snow and ice on Christmas.  On 12/27 I had to drive to the southeast side of town.  A big piece of snowy ice hit my driver's side window on the freeway.  It blew off a car ahead of me.  That car had a roof full of snow and ice.  The driver cleared his windshield but didn't worry about what would happen to the snow on his roof.  If you're not going to park in your garage, then cover your car with a sheet or be sure to clear the snow before it flies off and hits another car at high rates of speed.  I'm not going to drive on the freeway another time after a freezing spell.

There is a severe lack of parking in Portland.  Cars line both sides of narrow streets.  So many shopping and dining areas have no parking lots.  This impacts where I can go and what I can do in the city.  I have to check google satellite and look at the parking situation before I can decide if I can go somewhere.

The disabled parking places are few and far between.

Giant apartment complexes are built with no parking garages.  Portland wants people to walk, bicycle or take public transportation.  Somebody needs to inform the powers at the bus department of this.  You can't expect to have bad drivers injure pedestrians and then not have the city accessible to those disabled as a result.

It's eight months now since the bus hit me.  The last x-ray showed that my bone has not completely filled in the gaps between the rods holding the bits together.  My surgeon said he'll x-ray me again in 6 weeks.  If the x-ray doesn't look better, I'll have to get another cat scan.  Then maybe have a bone graft.

I'm fighting to get my strength back.  I continue to go to physical therapy twice a week.  I bought my own NuStep machine.  It's a recumbent cross trainer that can only be found in rehab facilities.  So, I can't just go to a gym to work out.

Despite all this I keep busy.  I get to play with my grandchildren.  I go to a book club and a couple meetups that are held in accessible locations.  My sewing room is still not set up so I can't enjoy my hobbies yet.  I left this room last because it's the most complicated one to organize.  I'm still unpacking boxes for that room.  I do too many crafts.  Something will have to go - doll making? miniatures? garment sewing? knitting? drawing & painting? jewelry making? fabric flowers? costume making? locker hooking? flower arranging?  All these activities have tools and supplies that take up space.  I haven't decided yet what to give up.  I keep hoping that somehow I can fit it all into my one hobby room that also houses my NuStep machine.

January 2, 2018

Starting the new year right - I got the teeth on the right side of my mouth scaled and cleaned.  In 2 weeks it's the left side's turn.  The hygienist gave me novocaine so I can only have one side done at a time.  I had to find a dentist in Portland.  I went to one about a mile away that had good reviews.  Plus, it was in a cute little house and named Edelweiss Dental.

My last checkup in Houston was great.  Maybe stress caused some gum problems.  Or maybe the dentist just needed more business.  Whatever, I figured it would be a good thing to have done.  Plus my dental insurance ends this month.

This morning I went to another 60+ meetup for coffee.  I wish it started at 10 instead of 9 so traffic wouldn't be a problem.  At least traffic was light this morning.  It's a nice group but the activities seem to be mostly on the southeast side of town. 

So far 2018 is going smoothly - except those yucky ants are making a comeback in my house.

December 28: Happy Birthday to me!

 How the hell did I get so damned old?  

Christmas Day 2017

My house on a snowy Christmas Eve

Last year at this time I was packing up lots of stuff in my house in Houston.  I had to make the house more appealing to potential buyers by making it impersonal.  I had so many beautiful things that I cherished.  I packed what "I couldn't live without" to take with me to Portland.  I sold many things on facebook market sites.  I donated even more.

Last night we celebrated Christmas Eve at my little house.  The kids opened their stockings and gifts.  I made spaghetti for supper.  Kenny and Miho are fussy so I had my fingers crossed.  They ate it - no complaints except I forgot buy parmesan cheese.

Then we watched a movie, "Get Santa."  When it ended the kids were in a big hurry to head home and go to sleep so Santa could come to their house.

Stockings at the fireplace

My little pink tree

I'm wearing my new Ninja Turtles Christmas jammies for the occasion.

in my living room

Barbie has a pink poodle, too!

I made a Ninjago puzzle for Kenny.

Miho is wearing her unicorn costume.

Today I got what I was working so hard to achieve - spending holidays with Kevin, Tomoko, Kenny and Miho.  I wish Andy could have been with us.  We all missed him.

I got up 5:30 AM.  The streets were icy and I was in the only car on the road.  When I got to Kevin's I had to wait while he and Tomoko poured hot water on their steps and scraped off the ice.  The kids waited until I arrived and then started opening all their presents.

Kevin's living room

My pink poodle Christmas sweatshirt

Opening a big box from Uncle Andy

The box held a scooter for Kenny.

And a bidet from Andy

Uncle Andy gave Miho a huge stuffed octopus.

The kids both received lego sets and were working on them throughout the day.  Kenny had a complicated set but he was putting it together almost all by himself.  Kevin was helping Miho.

Kevin took both dogs to the park.  Sweetsie got all tired out.

After our teatime at around 4 Sweetsie and I came back to our little house.  Bedtime is early for us tonight.

November 22, 2017

Tomorrow I am going to Kevin's for Thanksgiving.  Tomoko is making the dinner.  She is a very good cook.

November 14, 2017

Whew!  I've been busy.  Everyday I unpack a box or two, clean up the resulting mess and start again the following day.  I probably have at least 50 more boxes to go.  Why do I have so much stuff?

I sold and gave away so many of my things before I left Houston.  Now I'm continuing the purge.  I've already taken one big box to Goodwill and I have another big one packed to go.

Before I moved here I had planned on finding a part time job.  So I kept a lot of my work clothes. That was pre-bus accident.  Now I'm still recovering.  I get exhausted easily because of the pain.  Tomorrow is my 6 month follow up with the trauma surgeon.  I want to ask him what else I can do to get better.  I still go to physical therapy, stretch and exercise.  Have I hit a plateau or what?

This morning I went to a meet up group of 60+ singles.  They are a nice bunch of people and do a lot of activities together.  Unfortunately, most of their activities are hiking, biking, etc.  Every Tuesday morning they meet for coffee.  It's across town at 9 AM but I got up and went.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to the first meeting of a book club in my neighborhood.  I learned about it on nextdoor.com.  We're meeting just a few blocks from my house.

Sweetsie is enjoying her backyard.  Sometimes she runs back and forth.  I still am hiring a dog walker because she needs more exercise than that.  I'd rather be safe and let someone else take her.  She loves her new dog walker in our neighborhood.  They go around the park which is nearby.

Sweetsie and Stella are already in bed waiting for me.  Good night.