I really had every intention of staying up till 12:00 to bring in the New Year but right now I don't see how I can do it I'm exhausted. It's been a pretty good day however. I'm most excited about the fact that I got my letters printed folded stamped money in the envelopes that needed it and then sent via the folks over at the market where I bought my stamps. I was really kind of spooked that I wouldn't be able to get the letters mail today but they have a drop off later on in the day that they'll drop the letters off at the post office which is great because it gets them out of my hair and ready for the new year. I went shopping today probably just for the fun of it but I wanted to get a roast instead I got a roast and a 5 lb frozen lasagna - - family size! I cannot believe I purchased that. My freezer is too small and two packed with stuff to except anything the size of this lasagna. Even the refrigerators too small. I was going to try to cook it for a while then chop it up into hunks and freeze some of it but that didn't work. So what I'm planning on doing is just letting the thing cool to zero and then either separated into another container and freeze it or just put it in the refrigerator and eat it this next week dash dash which I could do it's a good piece of cooking that's for sure I'm enjoying what little bit I had for today. I got the hat today from my friend here at the apartment complex who enjoys making or knitting caps. It's a little small little tight on the brain but I'm enjoying it just the same. The place is a bit of a mess for no particular reason except that I'm lazy and have not really roomed it for a while. Hopefully, Melissa will do some sweeping tomorrow maybe I can do some before she gets here.

I'm kind of proud of myself I really haven't watched a whole movie today though I did watch a couple of episodes of a current series that I'm watching which I found on Netflix. I think I've seen it before at least part of it but I'm kind of enjoying watching the whole thing now we'll see what comes of it I have two more episodes to go and then hopefully they'll do a new series or a new season. I just hate getting involved in these kind of things and then they've never make another season so you never know what finally happens to the series or that they do a season every couple years. It's hard to stay engaged. I didn't work out today just because I wasn't paying attention. Or I was out shopping or something that took me off tasks. I'm going to have to work hard now to get my 200 minutes by Saturday night. Tomorrow's New Year's and I'll put a load of wash in hopefully. Didn't force myself onto the arm bike at some point and be able to do some workout minutes that way. I don't have anything planned to speak of I never do but I have things to do probably for the next day or so just to get ready for the new year. That would be great if that were true anyway- - happy New Year dear reader thanks for putting up with me another year.

PS of interest to note while I was at the market this morning I realize there was a fantastic Sams right next to the market! I went in and they couldn't cut my hair today because there's only one Barber working and she was booked all day but I made arrangements to have time on Thursday to have my haircut. This would really be great and tell my regular Barber gets back hopefully she'll be getting healed her leg seems to have some issues so problem solved. I didn't get the haircut by New Year's but I will be getting a cut before the beginning of the new week first week of the new year.

Magic Jaxon

 You all know that I write my kids every month. I like to have the letters done and sent by the end of the month prior to the month they're getting the letters for. I suppose it's not a big deal but I always treated to such and it's important to me to get the documents out as close to the end of the month as I can. So I generally use the last week of the month to write and send the Letters Out which I did this month and was a little excited just because I had that month between December 25th and New Year's which means it shouldn't have been as traumatic as it usually is. No matter what I prepared to do there's always challenges I'd like to have it go without challenges but I do not think that is the way it will be ever. This month was actually going fairly well until yesterday and this morning. I think I reported yesterday I dictated the letters and today I was going to spend printing them out and the envelopes. Well what I got into the project my printer failed on the first try of the envelope print. The screens on the printer indicated that I had a paper jam and didn't surprise me. Between positioning the printer close to where I can reach the printer once I elevate my chair and start feeling around with the top part of the printer, raising the lid and doing this and I'm doing that so I can get to the rollers to where the mangled envelope or a piece of paper is usually stuck. I've done this a number of times to the point where I'm not nearly as intimidated as I used to be going inside the printer like that I'm trying to bring about resolution. This time however I pulled a piece out apart out of the printer that wouldn't go back in as it should of course everything had had to stop so I can get some other person to help place the things back into the print of the way they should be. It wasn't working I eventually called enough to message with my granddaughter, who has more than once volunteered more to come over and help me if I seem to have a problem- today I had a problem. I did place the call or left a message on her messenger or what Facebook or some other systematic messaging system. She eventually got back to me and indicated that they could come over this evening and help me if I still needed to- - I really still needed to get some feelings of comfort from the stresses of the day.

Fixing this computer system did not come easy but with the young minds these days so apt into technical things it didn't take Jackson long to put the computer printer back together again the parts that I took off. I didn't really get to mess with the system after he left it was only until a little bit later that I was able to verbally dictate my thoughts on the day. I think it's always good to be able to communicate with other folks in my living areas today. There was clouds and rain at times during this day. The turf is still too warm for snow to settle in but we did get pounded in the mountains what you really needed and I was able to go pretty easily myself to the toilet and back. With the resilience of Youth and the fact that this generation is totally connected to all the hardware and software that goes along with living in the computer age or high-tech age. Jackson was able to get the computer functional and I turn them loose. Of course when I tried to do the system tonight it didn't work well so I had to mess around and mess around and finally I was able to get an area that I'd be able to work in around the computer but we got the basic background and work area around the street. It was a cold day lots of clouds and chili chilly weather when you wanted not to be so

Sweating Sunday

 I didn't hear back from the kids last night so I just canceled, at least my involvement, in any breakfast at the restaurant for this Sunday. I figure when Mark gets back this week sometime we can start the process again next week. This allowed me to then to have their illusion of sleeping in which of course so this week I woke up around 5:00 a.m. and I couldn't get back to sleep maybe even an hour earlier than that it was strange. I wish I could say I got involved in something and went somewhere and did something but to be honest with you my butt was feeling a little sore and so I ended up pampering my butt all day long leaning back in my chair to get the weight off of it and then just watching various movies. I really enjoyed the day honestly but feel significantly guilty for having blown off a lot of it except for I did get my kid letters written. I still have to go through the process of printing them and then folding and put him in the envelopes and send it off. I think I even have to get over to the market and purchase a bunch more stamps but that's not a big deal. I'm sure after a good night's sleep and a shower in the morning then have all it so check my skin for breakdown and such I should be able to scoot over to the market by Monday and if not then Tuesday and get the letters sent off New Year's Eve. Somehow I think that's appropriate for this end of the year thing. This should be able to get their Letters by the end of the first 7 days of the month and New Year.

So the biggest thing I have to do now the remainder of this year is to find a barber I can substitute until my regular lady gets back. I hope she comes back I really like her a lot. I'm a little worried about what a new Barber is going to cost me but I should just get used to it and write it off as doing business. I'm getting to feel real bushy again and then with whatever's happening to me body wise I'm sweating a lot more everyday my head is damp if not wet which means I'm in a lot of pain somewhere I figure if I have less hair it'll be less gooey and sticky for me to have to deal with. I don't know if it's the pain in my feet that's causing the sweats are the agitation to my rear end it's one of those two I think. It could just be me sitting so caddywampus in my chair. I don't think I'm going to get any power chair relief until I get another our new chair that's still a year off. I wish it weren't so but that's just the way that it is

Saturday's Snip

 When I first moved into this place I don't know how many years ago I was pleased to find there as a barber just across the street. A little hole in the wall surrounded by Hispanic businesses IE stores shops and such and there was Mila's place. She spoke very little English but enough that we could get by readily. The best part was that she only charged $7 to cut my hair. This initially sounded like a lot but when I started checking out some of the other places around the area I found out this was a real deal almost half what other barbershops were charging for the same amount of work. I think I even talked about her at one time in the blogs about the fact that she was the soul owner of the barbershop but she actually rented space in the back for a number of Latino hair Craftsman's. These guys are the ones that do the intricate haircuts on other Latino most men. There was a lot of Razor Cuts and all kinds of cuts that kind of astounded me and I think they were actually charging big bucks to these people who are getting the haircuts and of course they are all paying my love because it was her project and her shop and I don't think any of them had licenses to cut hair let alone documentation of citiz citizenship in the area. Now however I made a call this morning to see if Milo was going to be open today enemas disheartened to find that she was not open in fact she was feeling sort of ill and didn't know when she would be back into her little shop. I know this doesn't really sound like it's very dramatic but I think it really does mask something that might be worse and long-term if not final. I hope she gets over what she's battling with quickly and can get back to cutting my hair and those others I think that might depend on her. In the meantime that means I have to Shag out some other Barber type person in the area and maybe even have to look at increasing the the cost of the haircut now. With Myla I could just use a $10 bill to cover everything even with her tip and such and she always seems to be totally excited by my bigger tip .

It's Saturday night and I'm sort of killing time until the basketball game tips off around 7:30 p.m.. the Utah Jazz lost the last game a few days ago and now they're at it again. I hope to support these guys and enjoy a little bit of the game. I have to admit the game on Thursday night was pretty close they only won by two points but it's still quite frustrating to see my team losing such easy shots which I thought were the case but actually these guys are actually very tired by the time the third quarter gets around. I should not charge them so harshly. I've got all kinds of crackers tonight and I mixed up some nice sweet tasting water to drink while I watch the game. Starting kind of late but that's not bad I'm not sure if we'll do breakfast in the morning Mark Anthony is not got back from his European trip yet. Maybe tonight but I don't think he'd be up to doing anything in the morning and I haven't heard back from my granddaughter either way I think it'll be a nice Sunday except for the precipitation

Fridays fuss

 I don't know if I would have gone out even if I had a chair that was functional today. It was just too overcast and quite frankly cold. And as always if I don't have a reason to go out I'm not going to go out just to be out though I need to rethink that statement at some point. Because there is a part of me that feels I need to be out just so that I can tell people that I've been out and I'm doing something. I've been experiencing guilt at not living my life to its fullest I guess. I don't know if that's fair to write but that's how I feel sometimes when I don't take advantage of how good the days are and I elect to stay home, inside watching the dreaded flat screen.

Once again I had a wheelchair problem. It came about sometime yesterday afternoon or evening and the left side of my wheelchair, the arm mechanism on the left side it's a very complicated piece of machinery- at least it is to me. It seems, periodically the armrest itself will actually slide out from the Barbara's tray built into the arm itself. It's almost like there was a set screw or something that has come loose and when that happens the arm rest itself are the padded arm rest will slide out of the arm mechanism making it very difficult for me to try to set up and stuff cuz I really depend on that arm being fixed so I can pull myself up all during the day. When the arm comes off it exposes just the hard metal that's really digs into my skin every time I pull myself up to a sitting position or try to pull myself up to a sitting position. I tried to fix it myself which I can never do it's just something I cannot do and finally I elected to call my older brother who is just great at this kind of things. Earlier in the day I put a message on his social media messenger but never got back and finally in the afternoon I gave him a call on his cell phone and luckily he was happy to be at the market not too far from my place kind of and he came right over and with what little tools I had we were able to fix the armrest and get it back into working order at least let me have the rest of the afternoon and evening with an armrest I can depend on to pull myself up into the sitting position as best as I can. By this point in time I was deep into watching The Avengers trilogy and so I did break time to make some dinner which I actually cooked something I have been thinking about for a long time. It's Polly pie type casserole made with one can of canned tamales, one can of chili one can Frijoles and a frozen tamale that I got from Costco. They're really large tamales quite good actually threw them all into the 8x8 pan that I've got and cook them for 30 minutes at 3 50° I covered them with the rest of my shredded cheese as well as Fritos I still had some left in the bag I threw those on. Afterwards I thought about I should have opened up a can of olives and mixed with it as well that would have been really good. Anyway cook them, and had a bowl of that rule for dinner it was pretty decent actually I thought so I'm not even try to use the filling and make some tortillas or a burrito of some sort out of them I don't know if that would work I have both flour and corn tortillas I think that would be decent I'll let you know what I do. That was pretty much it for the day though I don't think I even went 2 miles. It was nice having my caretaker back this morning seems like she had been gone a long time.

The day after

  The holiday falling in the middle of the week has me totally messed up. It feels like it's Friday or even Saturday but I still have half a week to go it seems like. Anyway it's not too bad except for the weather so inclement that I don't have any reason to go out so I'm not going out. Everything I need is here at the apartment so I'm happy as a clam long as I've got my internet connection and big screen. The only thing I would go out for right now is if my barber happens to show up at her shop tomorrow. I would be surprised if she does but I need to start looking seriously at getting my hair is cut cuz I'm getting kind of bushy and no one likes a bushy mark.

I did something today that I've been talking about doing for some time but have just not gotten around to it and that was to make oatmeal cookies. It was sort of a half-hearted attempt for a number of reasons the foremost reason being the brown sugar that I found was hard as a rock. I know I have another bag of brown sugar somewhere in the apartment that's a lot newer than that one it would actually be soft and be very usable for cookies. But I pounded and thrashed the bag of brown sugar and that helped a little bit I also threw the brown sugar into the microwave nuked it for a couple minutes which didn't do as much as I thought was going to I thought it might make it softer but it didn't I got enough brown sugar out I think to do with the basic job I got 3/4 of a cup and I think that's what it called for it was a weird recipe that I had a very simple one. That's okay I don't mind simple when it comes to cookies maybe if they're not good enough I won't eat very many of them which means I will not gain any extra weight that I don't need. I was surprised that the cookie dough actually went together and I probably got enough dough to make at least a dozen of these hard little oatmeal hockey pucks. I also put in nuts which I hope we're not Rancid you know walnuts that I haven't used in years. I also opened up a box of raisins and added them to the mix. No eggs or anything which I thought was kind of weird but I went with what the recipe said and it came out with something that look kind of like cookies they're pretty weird very unsweet but perhaps that's best like I said the amount that I eat that's for sure. So I made another mess in the kitchen hopefully Melissa will be around tomorrow and hopefully she'll tidy up a little bit. I'm also going through a major clean out of the refrigerator right now. Between the garbage and the disposal I've gotten rid of most of the evidence that I had some kind of a Thanksgiving dinner stuffed in the refrigerator somewhere. So it was kind of a maintenance day today but that's good I got my 60 Minutes in on the arm bike and I had the breakfast leftovers that came over with the kids yesterday during the Christmas visit it was a pretty good day after

Christmas 2024

 I really can't count what happened today is a Christmas miracle so it probably is at least for me all things considered. I wasn't really expecting a whole lot this Christmas I know that a couple weeks ago visiting at the Sunday morning breakfast my granddaughter and grandson-in-law indicated that they would be coming over on Christmas Day especially after I told him I wasn't really going to be doing much of anything. We sort of put together a plan that since they are having to go to two or three or four different family functions and events or food would be present that they would scarf a little food at each place and bring me over a Christmas dinner so to speak. I didn't really pay that much attention to it especially since they left and went to Las Vegas last week and I wasn't really sure when they were coming back. I had not heard from them really or anything particularly to the Christmas event. Even yesterday I hadn't heard of anything and I didn't really make contact with them so I just sort of didn't pay a whole lot of attention and spent last night watching Marvel movies in this morning at least one Marvel movie I know maybe two. It was a quiet morning I didn't really prepare it a breakfast I thought about it but since I still had pizza in the refrigerator as well as spaghetti I didn't feel I needed to go out of my way. Then in the afternoon I hear a knock on the door and the kids bringing me over packages for Christmas to open as well as plates of breakfast food since the only things family functions they had been to her morning events to open Christmas presents and such and so the families had prepared breakfast food of French toast, eggs and bacon and that kind of fair it was good to have something to look forward to though. We put tin foil on them and stuck them in the refrigerator which I can have tomorrow for a breakfast and how long it'll last me. The the presence were always nice to open and I certainly enjoyed the Practical nature of their main present which was a safer power strip type of device, the device they got was much more practical and safer than what I have been using. That was pretty exciting and of course Jackson went right to work and took the old power strip off and plugged in the new one and now I feel so safe and all the plugs are securely logged into the new Power container strip which means that my plugs will stay safe and attached. The kids left and I totally enjoyed the rest of my evening and afternoon. Backing on this and snacking on that until I got rid of the hunger pangs and enjoyed this Christmas of 2024….

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and I'm sitting here by my bed with a pile of laundry that needs to be folded and hung and I'm dictated by blog for the day so I can get that done for sure I don't know how much of the clothes project I'll get done but probably just fold the shorts for sure. It's not like I've been homebound all day in fact I've been out twice. The first to go over to the coffee shop which I thought was going to be open and of course it's not or was not. I wanted to get some coffee to go with my Christmas morning and the next couple of mornings. I'm almost out of the coffee I had I thought sure I had enough to get by if I could get to the coffee shop today but that's a no-go. So being without coffee Justified myself to Buck up and head across the street to the market to get a small container of coffee the last way through till next week. The coffee shop is really into some weird holiday vacations for their staff so they're sort of closed off and on for the next couple days and I just didn't want to break my brain trying to figure it out so I got the coffee and some other items I needed for I think a good Christmas Eve. I watched or even in the middle of watching something called stealth which is okay it's a another one of the movies that's basically showcasing the problems with artificial intelligence. It's relatively entertaining I don't know how much as far as AI goes but it's talking about a computer system that's gone whack All In controls jet fighters of course that always adds to the tension as well as nuclear missiles under its control. I had to turn off the program so I can get to my blog and clothes. I tricked Myself by throwing the clothes on the bed so I'll have to do something with them before I can go to bed. I'll probably just fold the shorts and leave the hanging for tomorrow. I haven't heard from my granddaughter Jasmine, who is suggesting something to do over the Christmas Day. I know that they but out of town for a while but it's getting close to Christmas day I've got to figure out what's going on. I didn't get a ham like I thought and I don't have a roast beef so if anything maybe I'll take out some sausage in the freezer and thawed out for tomorrow breakfast and I still have some pizza left over from yesterday's Pizza as well as I have spaghetti either of which would be an acceptable Christmas dinner offerings. The apartments breaking down to a mess really quickly especially for my trips to the market and coming back and pulling the items out of the bags and put them on the table or in the refrigerator or wherever they have to go. I've had some treats by my television/screen so the floor in the TV area is getting quite crusted over that's great Christmas time happenings. I'll hold off until tomorrow evening or the day after Christmas sweep up a little bit then have my caregiver help me more on Friday when she returns. It's a quiet Christmas Eve it's probably good that I don't have eggnog or Rum for eggnog… 

Christmas week

 It's the first day of Christmas week at least that's how I count it I don't count Sunday so it's Monday and Christmas is this week. Not that makes any difference to speak of but just for clarity's value. And of course I have not done anything Christmas Eve to speak of. I have not done any shopping and I've not sent any cards out. I do have some Christmas spirit there's no question about it I feel the season and I feel the holiday and have appreciated the gifts that I have gotten but feel guilty about not doing anything on gifts myself to anybody else. I don't know if it's the money spending thing or the fact that it's difficult to get out and do shopping as such but those are all excuses I think. I mean with the internet and with Amazon delivery I could just buy the stuff on Amazon and have them drop it off at the house that needs the Christmas gift so it's not necessarily disability though I like to hide behind it when I get a chance. But as far as going out and mingling with the Shoppers I have not done that except for going to the regular market and that's probably enough. Today was a good day I actually put more than two miles on my odometer today which means I really got around compared to what I have been doing and of course I just went to the the market but I went the long way if that makes any difference. I even stopped at Pizza Hut which is in the same parking lot as the market I go to and just quiz them about how much their Pizza would be. I don't think I like Pizza Hut pizza but maybe I need to get over that since I was not really impressed with the pizza I got last week from D Domino's. It was a small pizza for a lot of money. I don't think I like Pizza Hut pizza but I may have to order it some they just to see. It doesn't look all that appetizing and it's real totally expensive too comparatively speaking against the Domino's offerings. So tonight to fulfill my pizza craving I decided I would go with something from the market. I looked at the fancy Dancy stuff and decided against it for the price and what you got and went with some of the other pizzas that are in the pizza section in the Frozen Foods area. I finally went with Craven's Supreme I believe it's what it was and it didn't look that good when I pulled it out of the box but when I heated up in the oven it came out okay it wasn't half bad. Interestingly my neighbors upstairs actually sent me down some pizza as well. The main reason I ordered the pizza was to watch the Jazz game tonight. I should have saved my money they lost but that's okay it was still fun having the pizza and I have a lot of it now just stretch over the next couple of days. I almost bought a ham when I was at the market just because it's nice to have a Christmas ham but again decided against that sense of it only be for me with us a lot of money in a lot of meat. I still might do something like that before it's all over I don't mind him and I'm going to use the freezer option more often these days so I waste food which I have been known to do..

Sunday's solitude

 To be honest I was quite lost not having the kids here to go to breakfast with on Sunday morning. Granted I could have made a production fried up some eggs or made some Frank or some other breakfast option - I did get frozen hash brown potatoes so I could have even had hash browns and eggs and spam but I didn't do any of that I just was not motivated. It's kind of strange. I'm just not doing stuff for myself the way that I used to do it. I got up early enough kind of valid for a while I had some of my concoction for breakfast actually a couple spoonfuls of it warmed up some coffee and even had one of the tamales covered with concoction for breakfast lunch in between her. End up watching stuff on Netflix a series of into right now called Shogun I read the book years ago and quite enjoying the series I'm just about finished with it however I don't know if there'll be another series of Shogun or whatever. It's really kind of a sad movie or series all done in Japanese. I truly enjoyed the novel in the series seems to be pretty good too I don't know what's going to do the whole book or if it's going to break it up in the series years. Other than that I can't think anything else that I did today I spent some time in the afternoon evening visiting with Diane a little I will be glad to have Monday roll around so I can get back into my normal routine. It's supposed to be rainy tomorrow maybe even a little bit snowy if we get into the Christmas Day. Melissa has indicated that she would like to have Christmas off and she's willing to come in on Monday as well as Tuesday then wednesday, which is Christmas day, she would be off coming in again I think on Thursday or I could possibly make it to Friday. The Christmas week there's always a challenge as far as home health support goes. I think I'm in the best place I have been in a long time as far as having regular movements and being able to maintain myself in a regular fashion. My part came in for the pot for the bed and we'll have to see what Kent can do this week and see if we can get either the new bread or parts of the old bed in this bed and the new front and the thing which came on Thursdays to Saturday's Amazon delivery. Now it's just a matter of getting Kent over here to see if we can get something working. The bed's been working okay I'm just afraid that's going to stop working all together if we don't get on to it. On to that that's pretty much my Sunday not really exciting I don't think I even went a mile as far as my odometer goes. I guess I just need to get some rest sleep tight and get through the holiday season

SOLSTICE!

 It's taking me a long time to finally realize why perhaps universally Solstice is probably larger than Christmas all things considered. I fully understand now why Solstice means so much are meant so much to people in the past to know that they were finally passed the dark time or that time where each day the amount of daylight was becoming less and less and from the Solstice forward the days are hours of sunlight with increase. It truly is a celebration of light and now I am more excited to pass the solstice that I am Christmas. Solstice basically gives me a somewhat guarantee of another year of light. Not trying to be over dramatic but it's kind of true in my mind anyway.

The biggest even of my day was crossing the street to the coffee shop to meet with Janet, my coffee shop buddy. We meet usually every Saturday at 9:30 at the coffee shop and gossip and enjoy the cup of coffee. I of course buy my coffee today however it was given to me by the coffee guy. I suppose it was his concept of a Christmas gift and I was certainly not going to turn it down. That makes 2 weeks in a row that I've had my coffee purchased for me. Last week the owner of the coffee shop basically gave me the cup of coffee I paid for the coffee with the couple dollar bills and he basically took one or two and stuck him in the tip jar for the staff but basically gave me the coffee for free. That was kind I really enjoyed that I mean it's not that much I mean three or four bucks I can't remember quite what it is. The place is crowded this morning much more than usual. It seemed like all the people who come over the year was here today. They were boxes of homemade cookies and candy all over the table of the main group. Fortunately we are able to find a spot for me against the far wall, usually where I sit anyway but it wasn't too observable from the front door when I rolled in. They parted for me and I went back and grabbed the table. We did our usual discussion of events and people there at the complex where we live. Talking especially about the new people that have moved in and maybe some of the older ones that might be moving out, one way or the other. One of them is a good friend of mine who lives across the hall. She's very tall and skinny and old. Recently, she is falling a couple of times and when that starts happening it's sort of like happy trails time for the individual. In fact my friend told me about the fact that she was found in her car slumped over the steering wheel a few days ago where she had basically fallen asleep. I never did learn whether she had fallen asleep tonight before she was found or that she had gone out earlier and then fell asleep. But my coffee partner found a slumped over and of course thought she was dead at first but then she woke and acted like everything was normal. I don't give her that much more time at least here at the complex. I think if she falls again she's going to hurt herself quite severely and either pass away then or be sentenced to long-term care. And even then long-term care is not going to be long-term. It's kind of spooky because all of us are very much like this lady just a different times. A number of the folks that have been icons here at the complex are we getting the filter out which means new people are coming in which is completely changing the complexion of the building. It's not necessarily A Bad Thing but there's a bit disjointing for us long-term Folk. I continue to enjoy my new old latch on the side of my chair which allows me to easily remove the arm of my chair. Thought about staying up late tonight since my son is in Europe and my granddaughter is in Las Vegas but I think I would rather hit the sack early and read…

Friday's stress relief

 I was so stressed out this morning when to fix my friend yesterday performed on my power chair, arm release failed and the arm was locked in the chair itself. I didn't know quite what I was going to do this evening when it would be time to go to bed and I would not be able to undo the arm and transfer into the bed. Fortunately however my friend Kent, from ucat call and we had a good chat regarding the situation. He informed me that he was going to Ogden to check on a possible bed frame and also he was going to check with power chairs he had in stock to see if that part for my chair might be available. To be honest I wasn't really too hopeful on the whole situation and I think I was kind of getting depressed. But like you said though he stopped by the apartment about 1:30 and he had found two possible options the levers were broken but they were still functional. We got busy on the project or should I say Kent got busy on the project and remove the offending part which was a bit of a challenge particularly since we could not get one piece we needed free but after a little bit of negotiating we got it taken apart and we ended up putting the new brake release in place and it worked just fine it worked better than fine. I'm so happy it's such a great relief. Now, I just have to sweat out the bed frame to see if we can switch out the the motors that operate the the raising function of both front and back of the bed plus the whole Frame Up and Down. If we can get this piece in place I will count this as my Christmas miracle and be happy as a cram all season long.

Since I really couldn't do anything until I met with Kent which I wasn't sure when that was going to happen. I pretty much stayed in the apartment all morning long and actually in the afternoon too. I washed up a few dishes and did some basic housekeeping options. Fortunately it's Friday and that means my home health person Melissa is here and she did a great job sweeping up and getting things ready for my weekend. She knows I like the place a little more organized in case something happens like something social- - it happens every once in a while usually around holidays but since Mark is in Europe this weekend and the kids are in Las Vegas I'm on my own looking forward to a very enjoyable weekend. Sunday I'm not sure what I'm going to do if I'm going to cook or take myself out to breakfast. I'm kind of leaning towards the cooking side since I don't get to cook that much on weekends anymore this might be just right for what I need to Soothe my soul. I purchased a new bag of shredded potatoes this last shopping go around and then a little excited about maybe cooking them up with some spam or something that would be a treat but we shall see…

NEXT !!

 

I don't know what happened, I really don't, but when Independent Living called and asked if I was going to be the Santa this year and I said that I would I took special note of the fact that it was the 19th of December, I think to myself that this is really kind of late for that particular function but that's okay. Somewhere between then and today I got it in my mind that it was the 20th of December so I was really quite surprised this morning when I was relaxing at the beginning of the coffee social and one of the people who used to work at the Independent Living Center told me that or ask me if I was going to the independent living holiday function and was I going to be the Santa today!TODAY!! I did a quick check of my calendar on my cell phone sure enough I even had it written in the calendar that today I was Santa at the Independent Living Center unbelievable it was 9:30 and I had 11:00 has to be when I had to be there. I couldn't quite remember if that was when I was supposed to be there or what I supposed to go on a Santa either way I was flummoxed and moved everything into high gear. I ate my cookies from the coffee social headed down the apartment through one of my warm ponchos on and basically took off to bus stop. The fastest route would be to take the 47 into the Murray station then transfer to the 200 northbound going towards Salt Lake and get off around 3,500 South and travel directly west when I would run into the Independent Living Center.

I did it! I got to the center about 2 minutes after 11:00. I was well within the time that I needed to be there cuz I don't even think I did the Santa thing until like 1 p.m.. the bill Affair this year was spaghetti and salad which they were just putting together as I got there and visited with a lot of the staff as well as the new director and the interim director. It's great to be a rockstar if he wants in a while and even though there was another Santa that was there as part of a play production they were putting on I was the real thing as far as the person to get your picture taken with no short efforts of myself as much as with the Magnificent efforts of my buddy Kim who basically dresses beans puts the beard on and make sure I look fairly presentable lot of Hands-On stuff. It worked I came roaring out of the bathroom where they changed me into Santa yelling merry Christmas as loud as I could right after the last verse of Santa Claus is Coming to Town - - of course. It's a tedious job. They give me a bag of goodies usually cookies of one sort or another or candies or bags of such that I hand out to people as they come in dutifully sit to one side or another and have their picture taken with me. I try to keep the people moving answer a few questions make a few rash Promises of what they'll be getting for Christmas and then send them on their way takes about an hour I think to go through as many people as show up to this function. Most of them are people who are developmentally disabled who really still believe in the beauty and sanctity and magic of Christmas I try to keep that going as well as passing out the treat and sending them on their way next!

Wednesday's wash

 I just finished folding the wash for this week, a few minutes ago, Wednesday has become wash day almost a complete ritual. I even put off my arm bike so that I could wash the clothes luckily I had time afterwards too do my regular hour plus 10 minutes from yesterday's ride that I didn't get to finish so I'm cut up on my 3 hours now 180 minutes. 20 minutes tomorrow and I'll have my 200 minutes in for the week. Speaking of rituals that's another one I've become quite committed to. I have a rather small wash just one washing machine full I don't know what I'd do if I had two but I guess you'd have to have a family for that. So it's usually 6 or seven pairs of shorts seven shirts and whatever towels I tend to wash from week to week. If I sit and think about it before I do them it seems like a very long and arduous task but going through because my Wednesday Focus. It seems like everything else gets put on the back burner on wash day. I don't really commit to any meetings or projects or anything out if it's going to cut into the time I do my washing. I shouldn't be so anal about the whole operation the washing will get done one way or the other and I certainly have clean clothes to wear for over a week I just like to keep a week's washed to a week seven of each. Seven of each makes manageable load for me to carry since I have to get the wash from the dryer into the clothes basket and hefted up onto my lap from the ground level. Fortunately I've worked out a system with Melissa who will take the clothes as soon as she's got me on the toilet, down to the laundry and start the wash and then transfer the wash to the dryers before she leaves. I just have to collect the dryed from there from the laundry to my lap and then to the bedroom where I dump everything on the bed meaning I have to fold it before I can go to bed. Seems to work but that's usually all I get done during the day however I did run to the market this afternoon after I finish my arm bike regimen.

Have I mentioned that I haven't been sleeping that well the last week or so. Part of it might be the bed I am aware of that but there's something else going on too but it'll pass but what's interesting is that someone mentioned today or yesterday that I look tired and all I can do is agree with them that I probably do look tired but actually it's pretty much me these days. It's not that I'm so tired I'm yawning every other word and dozing off in the middle of sentences but I certainly feel less than perky most the time and I'm usually relatively civilized. I don't know how else to be. I would love to be able to get the 7 hours of sleep that person like myself should get but I just can't really do much more than 6 hours and that's a good day usually I'm operating on far less. The best part about being sleepy all the time is that you do look forward to sleeping when the time comes. I have no problems getting to sleep once I'm in bed and settled in for the night. And I when I do wake up feel fully excited to get going on my day. I think I'll be a lot less worried when I get my chair fixed and the bed fixed. My friend Kent thinks he's found a bed that will work for my needs and will be bringing it over the next day or so we'll see what happens. Maybe that's all I need who knows? I'm ready for sleep…

Rolling stress

 Today was one of those terrifically long days. Started actually yesterday when I got a phone call from my friend over at assist, ink reminded me of a meeting that I had this morning, which I really thought was canceled last week because the holiday and all that kind of stuff but I guess I was wrong. This the meeting doesn't start till 11:00 a.m. but for me to get there on time I really have to kind of hustle around leave the apartment here by 9:00 to catch the bus over to the library where I can kill time until 11. The bus gets me or the train should I say gets me to the library around 10:00 or a little after which gives me an hour to goof around the stacks and to see what's new in the new book section Etc before my meeting starts. Fortunately, it was a good meeting and fairly well handled we got out of there right around 12:00 which then allowed to be time to get to the train again and head back to my part of town to where I was to meet up with one of my buddies for coffee and conversation which we did. I finally got home I would say around 4:00 or so and it was nice too just sit in the apartment and veg for a while. When I write this out it doesn't really sound like a whole heck of a lot but when you're piloting a power wheelchair back and forth onto and off of buses and trains into the City and out of the city it really is quite a bit of movement and stress to a certain point. But it was a good day I don't know if it was a 500 word day and I think I'm going to be quite short of the 500 Words for this particular entry but just know that it was well played and will used and a bit of an enjoyable day. The apartment is entropine pretty quickly. Maybe I can get Melissa too sweep up a little bit tomorrow. Always happens when I have Fritos one hits the floor and then I run over it and it's everywhere.

Team apathy

  To be perfectly honest, I'm killing time before the tip off of the latest Jazz basketball game. It's an away game and it starts at 8:30! I can't believe they're starting to game that late but they're in California I guess so it's really 7:30 their time but even then that's late at least that's what I think. Anyway, I've gotten a little down crested with this team because I think they're just going to lose anyway so why even worry about watching them but there's always the chance that they may come through and keep their points that they usually make the first quarter of this game and hold on to that towards the end. That hasn't worked too well for them but it's worked a couple times who knows this might be another day. At least I'm somewhat supportive of them a little bit. I like the guys on the team I don't know if I like the team in general though- - does that make sense? I don't know for sure. Anyway, I've made a little progress I think on fixing some of the problems I'm dealing with right now in a mechanical level. I tortured myself trying to make a decision this morning on what to purchase to fix this chair the power chair or no the power bed rather and I purchased a motor actuator that should fix the bed I just hope that it does. I'm just cruising on the bed until the last electric mechanism on it breaks then I'll be in a big trouble if I don't get it fixed. Tomorrow I have my assist meeting in Salt Lake and I should go over to u c a t and see if they've got something that can help me with this chair that I'm in right now with the arm release that won't work. But I'm not going to be able to do that because I'm going to be having coffee with one of my friends tomorrow after my assist meeting. I don't think I'll have the energy to go back into the city after coffee that leaves only Thursday to get back to the agency to see if they have a piece that might fix my armrest release. Luckily when the kids were here on Sunday we figured out how to undo the armrest that I'm using now it just takes a lot of patience in a little bit of luck. Tonight I had both and so at least right now I have the arm free and I'll be able to get to bed and up in the morning. So hopefully I'll be able to do everything until Thursday and hopefully Thursday I can get this fixed. So if the piece comes in and I fix the bed and fix this chair I'll have anything and everything I would like to have for Christmas I guess. Boy I sure wondered all around with that one didn't I?

I spent the day in the apartment there really wasn't anything for me to do on the outside that I wanted to at least where I'd have to subject myself to the elements. My caregiver this morning Melissa indicated it was so cold that she could barely stand it and she's a tough little cookie. That was just enough to keep me busy around the apartment. I did my usual I blogged and did my own bike made some coffee and overall enjoy the apartment- - I am so lucky to have such a nice place to live.

Buy Christmas door

 

I'm. going to another mechanic breakdown of things that I own now not only is my bed in Dire Straits with only one power system working with which is the one that raises the bed and lowers the bed now my power chair break on the left side that locks the armrest in disintegrated on me last night around 12:30 a.m.. there is just a knob of the plastic left that allowed me to just barely push on it hard enough to dislodge the locking mechanism and let me lift the arm up so I can transfer into bed. I was finally able to do this around 1:35 a.m. I didn't even read as I try to every night before dropping off to sleep. I was really concerned that maybe I was going to have to sleep in my chair - - which I have never done and all the time that I've had my chair. Luckily my grandson-in-law came over today and was able to use one of my fishing line things that I use to make zipper poles to Fashion the loop on the offending piece of my chair that locks the arm lock into place. You'll still be a challenge to undo that with the zipper pole baby a lot easier than what happened last night and I'll be able to get to bed at a great time tonight maybe catch up on some sleep.

The kids, Jasmine and Jackson came over after breakfast at the restaurant to work on my door as well as to put up the Christmas tree in the apartment. I have a very small Christmas tree but it's very cute when they get done with it and it certainly helps me get into the spirit of the season. Jasmine went right to work cutting up the construction paper making the designs for putting the front door together but she did a really great job. I've included a picture of the front door hopefully you can see the work the two of them did. I tried to get an image of Jackson but didn't have much luck in that area. They probably spent at least 2 hours here working on this project it was certainly fun to have them here and we certainly sort of got into the Christmas mood though I neglected to put on Christmas Carol's and stuff but we had a really good time. I plan to keep the Christmas door up until maybe the first or second week in January when I'll start a spring Motif on the door hopefully. Maybe I'll get all artsy fartsy for Valentine's Day that might be fun.

So I have two goals at least for this upcoming week one of them of course is to get the piece for this wheelchair fixed so make it easier to get in and out of bed and the second one which might be more intense or long-term is to send away for the replacement motor for my bed. I just have to follow through with the information that Mark Anthony got for me last week and send away for the peace. We think we can get the item for about $160 instead of 400 which would be much easier for me to palette that's for sure

Saturday's Ponder

 Many years ago I tried to learn to play the family accordion which I found stashed in one of the covers of the house. At one point in time I believe it belong to my older sister who I guess played but I don't remember really her playing the accordion very much. It was a difficult instrument for me and like I said I laboriously try to learn this instrument but I never did but point that I'm making is that each week I would go to my lesson and my mom would give me a quarter which I would use to buy a bottle of Squirt and a chocolate bar some kind I think it was a Hershey's almond bar. There's a great interlude in my week though I struggled so hard on me accordion. I never got the notes down and I never really got functional with the 120 base just too many buttons and just too much stress I never was able to get the instrument down except for a few basic silly songs. And the reason I bring this up is that today I was at the market buying some Provisions for the rest of the weekend. I finally succumb to the realization that my form of socialization is going to the market on Saturday nights and purchasing something fun to ingest one way or the other. Anyway I have, for a long time, wanted or needed something to to drink for fun. The problem why I have not really purchased cans of soda or pop before is that just too difficult for me to transport especially if I'm carrying another stuff at the same time so I don't buy them or I haven't purchased them but today for some reason I was really into the whole idea of buying something just for fun so I talked to somebody who reach down and picked up a container of Squirt and I had them place it between my legs on my foot pedal of my power chair. I raised the foot pedals up to the point where the package of Squirt play securely between the legs. And it worked I was careful of my trip home that I didn't hit any bumps or whatever but it was the fluid trip home and once I got to the house I had a difficult time moving the squirt container to the floor but I finally did and they're doing so I think I ruptured one can of of the beverage and got all over the floor but I secured another and drank it it was great remind me of the old days. Now I have a bunch of other cans that I will Stow in the refrigerator on Monday when my help gets here and she retrieve the rest of the cans off the floor and put them into the fridge.

Friday's Focus

 There was actually snow in the ground and it was still snowing when I woke this morning that finally got around looking out the window. Of course listen to the news and weather before I even got to the window aspect of it so I knew what to expect- just a little bit not a whole lot and seriously it was gone by 12:00 noon. I was pleased because I really did have to get over to the market to pick up a few fun items that would keep me going tonight through the Jazz loss and then tomorrow where it should be snowing a little bit in the mid afternoon and such but I won't have to go to the market now because I went this afternoon. I do plan on going over in the morning to get some coffee I don't know if Janet will join me she might. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of reciprocation going then as well but for sure in the evening and Sunday morning they should be some light precipitation probably for breakfast. Your day was a good day for me I was able to see both of my caregivers or actually one caregiver and one person who does some of my cleaning when the cleaning gets done. My caregiver gave me a great enema and a great shower and my cleaning person did a great job in the kitchen and I think I might have enough courage/ self commitment to make cookies sometime this weekend I've been trying to do that for some time now and I have everything in place to do that. I have new oatmeal new flour and I have the ingredients for the cookies themselves I just have to figure out do I want a hamster the batter or do I want to use a mixer. Whatever I do I want it to be as easy as possible. I haven't had real homemade cookies for a long time and maybe that's the way I need to go for right now stop by and store-bought cookies and just make my own cookies when I want them a dozen here a dozen there keep me back into the baking mode. Not much else is going on actually. I did get a cross to the Macy's grocery where I picked up some grapes, so now I have fresh fruit, I also picked up some ice cream circles which should be pretty good I miss them since I got out of them ran out of them. So it's a pretty good Saturday everything looks fairly good in it apartment and I have enough fun food to get through the weekend. I was going to try to get a hold of some Fritos but I couldn't find any big scoopers so I let that go for this week picking up some crackers on the side.

My wounded hands seems to be getting better and better. I don't really like the way that it looks right now though my caregiver / Melissa feels it's getting better and that the infection is gone and I guess I can't really hope for much more than that. I try to protect it as much as I can but it's in a really awkward spot so it gets a lot of banging up and stuff hopefully it'll scab over one way or the other by Monday when do we look at it when we look at it again. It looks like it could be just pretty much a maintenance weekend

Almost invisible

About a week ago, I can't really rightly remember why I was on a trip downtown, but as I boarded the train the car was full. There were people sitting in the wheelchair accessible stations- - they have these seats that are easy to fold up and then you can slide right into beside them in your wheelchair and be out of the way. Of course, if there are any rules the rules are that you surrender these seats to those that are either people in wheelchairs are seniors that doesn't always hold true but it's a nice thought. This guy wasn't sitting in the seats they were already full when I came on board and I just sort of sandwiched myself between a couple of other seats in the regular section of the train. This guy was sitting next to the door kind of and I don't think he moved while the entire time I was on the train which is for about 40 streets which is actually quite a while. I think I've mentioned before that we are now in the cold season in Salt Lake quite often mixed with rain or snow or mist or just slush and it's really cold when you get wet. Many times while waiting for the train or the bus I just can't wait for that big old vehicle to pull up and open its doors so I can roll in and catch some warmth for however my trip will last. It's a great warmth that comes the public transit not only do you have the heat from the vehicle which in many cases is overheated- - which is not a problem for me - - but you also have the heat from the mini bodies that are packed into the Sardine Can of a train or a bus. Many times I do close my eyes and let the rocking motion of the vehicle send me into some kind of a light sleep it's very hypnotizing to a point. I couldn't help but wonder if the individual bunched up on the side of the train with the blanket over his head was there for the duration of the train he was going to stay there as long as the driver was going to let him. He's lucky it would be hours he could ride all morning if it's luck holds out and the driver's not on one. Maybe he was on his way to the library, that's where I got off, the library is a warm place to go in the winter time I found and I think I've also found that many other folks who have no other place to go have started going to the library's across the country. Salt Lake library is very good and very warm. Every once in awhile I saw whoever was underneath this blanket move its foot just let me know that he was at least alive. I'm sure there's been more than one train where the individual end up dying under the blanket and nobody found out for hours until either the end of the run or somebody accidentally knocks over the corpse. This guy wasn't dead yet but I'll bet he had a story…

Presents!

I've gotten to Christmas presents already and both of them had to do with food which is great because nothing I love more than getting Christmas food packages even if they're from major corporations. What's good and if not bad at the same time is that I probably should wait until Christmas morning to open these goodies but I don't have the whatever it takes to wait that long especially in the Bleak Days running up to Christmas. I got a box of candies from one of the volunteer programs I work with are one of the programs I volunteer at. I like to leave the candies open for not only myself but for anyone who happens to wander into my apartment usually my caregiver. Then today I got a major food box from some trendy sausage and cheese operation. You know the kind two or three different kinds of cheeses, small sausages usually crackers lots of toppings like hot mustard and things of that nature. It was on my door when I came home or leaning against my door. I truly like these but cannot believe how much inflation has miniaturized the selections. In the old days the beach sticks are pretty large as well as the other treats that were inside these types of gifts. Now they're just tastes of what could be but I'm not complaining. It's probably better that you just have a small introduction to The Taste rather than eating the whole thing. It's fun to have these options laying around especially if you need a treat of one sort or another to get you through a movie or television series that you're binging at any given time. I will set this out on the table as well so that my caregiver will have more options to choose from.

I had kind of planned on going out and doing something today but after the caregiver got done with me cleaned and dressed I pretty much just hung around the apartment complex in my unit and watching my flat screen. I did take a break to work out on my own bike which is always a pleasure oh yes today is Wednesday that means it's wash day so I did go down and get my clothes out of the dryer- - I have my caregiver through the clothes in the dryer as she leaves and I go and collect them once they're dried to fold and put back into place- - brought them back and folded and hung the clothes for the next week. I felt that was enough to justify binging on the Umbrella Academy some more. I just have a few more seasons left then I'll move on to some other series that I've really enjoyed. I'm still agonizing over what to do regarding my electric bed. My son looked at the bed and found some information that when I check it out I'm not sure of what I'm looking at. I need to find a actuator that will fit onto my bed that'll raise it up and down Etc but what it's showing on the internet that should fit very bad doesn't look like it would and it's about $400 and I don't want to make that kind of a mistake I don't think I can. I wish there was somebody I could ask about this that really knew this kind of stuff and I probably is I just haven't stumbled on them yet. I may have my son take it over and finish the project. I like to tell people that if I had my hands I could do all this stuff but as I remember my life before the accident I'm just not good at this kind of stuff as far as fixing things up even though I think I could do it I don't think I have the self-confidence to pull it off so I was never good at sales… 

Tender Tuesday

 The most productive thing I did today was fry up a bunch of bacon this morning. Since we decided not to have a meeting today I got to spend the day at home not having to go out in the cold weather even though the sun was out which I'm sure made the day feel a little bit warmer than it was. I really didn't have a place to go or anything really to do on the outside so I just stayed in. I really like bacon probably more than I should and I've had this pound of bacon for some time it was a thick cut the kind I think it's used for like real cooking experiences not just bacon and eggs but that's what I used mine today for it was bacon and eggs plus I've got a whole lot of bacon I need to put away before I go to bed. If I don't cook the bake it up at one time thinking I'm going to cook it another time I usually don't cook it up and the meat eventually goes bad. If I cook the whole thing up and then store it in a plastic bag in the fridge it will stay quite a while and I can use it for bacon and eggs sandwiches whatever I need a bacon for if nothing else just snacking. This stacking thing is a poor choice I don't know if it's any better than sugar especially with my pre-diabetic state. Sugar versus salt it's a hard call seems like anything that has any value at all is off limits for health reasons. It seemed like everything I touched today just made a mess of the apartment. I was really hoping that Gloria would make it over today but she had serve an accident and couldn't make it. I'm having a difficult time doing simple things like washing dishes because of the wound on my hand. The Band-Aids that Melissa put on my hand on Monday has stayed in place and I think has done the job even though I have got it wet a couple times washing out coffee cups and frying pans. If there was infection in my finger I believe it's gone away with the intervention from Melissa on Monday. We'll have to check tomorrow to see if the room needs a redressing.

I was intrigued Monday when Melissa told me that she had a new person added to her list of folks that she cares for. This was a 28-year-old quad male who Melissa believes is pretty much at the same level as I am drama wise. Melissa told me quite a bit about her new charge which I worry a little bit about her divulgence of client information but I certainly enjoy hearing the stresses and traumas other folks tend to be using are having. This guy actually has money he's self-pay like me but has her for many hours a week. I guess he actually has somebody with him all the time in case he needs assistance. I don't know how that would be that would drive me crazy. I think I've spoken before about how precious the time alone is to me. Even though this morning it was a bit of a trial getting dressed totally by myself. I didn't even put shoes on today because I kicked them off and just didn't want to have to put them on again. Had the dressing gone differently perhaps I would have gone out and done something today but I was content to sit in with the heat turned off and watch the umbrella Academy

Mostly Monday

I have a whole host of self-defeating behaviors I don't try to make believe that I don't. However one of my most possibly disjointed behavior is on Monday Wednesdays and Fridays I have my toileting and bathroom days. I get done with this event probably around 9:30 or 9:45 a.m.. I don't start until a little after 8:00 a.m. usually that's when Melissa gets here then we start the process after she has some coffee that I've made for her. Anyway the point that I'm getting to is that after Melissa leaves I'm clean then I'm dressed and usually I've had something to eat by then and it's almost 10:00 in the morning. Invariably I go over the table and start one of my puzzles or continue working the puzzle that it may have been doing earlier before Melissa got there. And I might do this puzzle until 12:00 even I've been known to do that. My issue is do I should I be doing something else? I don't rush to do anything now outside just because it's so blame cold and it don't enjoy being out in the cold anymore than anybody else does I'm sure. I could be doing something productive but I choose not to in fact I kind of enjoy cranking the heat up a little bit and just feeling snowed in. So I choose this puzzle plane exercise as my are one of my self-defeating behaviors. I just don't do anything all I'm doing my puzzles.

Tomorrow I'm kind of excited because I don't have to shower so I can get up and straight away get dressed and figure out something to do. Usually I have the meeting in Salt Lake but I don't have one tomorrow so I've got my morning open. I could cook something here at the apartment whether it's the bacon or even mix up some cornbread and are oatmeal cookies. I don't know if I told you last night when I went to check the flower to make the cookies yesterday of cornbread yesterday it was filled with tiny creatures just trying to make a living in the baking flour, there and they may be have been dead for some time I didn't see any movement but I wasn't looking very hard. With the help of Melissa I was able to find the new flour I purchased a month or so ago. Now I just have to download it into the washed out bread container. I still might make either the cookies or the cornbread before the week is out. I wouldn't mind more chili made by Janet upstairs. It was quite good.

We are roughly now about a week and a half away from winter solstice. The only reason I bring this up is how quickly darkness comes in the afternoon now. Right around 4:00 that really starts beginning to feel the evening come on. Now by 5:00 the sun is about down and it does feel like evening big time. If I don't have my heater on by then I turn it on turn off mention the lights in the apartment and watch whatever available electronically whether it's the news a movie or a series that I'm currently involved in. I'm watching the Umbrella Academy again it's really a cute show I like it at least the first season or two again it wanders off as it continues to try to be relevant either way certainly makes for an evening…

 

Hand wound care

 

I don't know what I did to my back of my hand are back knuckle but sometime between last night and this morning I did a number on my hand. There's a little shocked this morning when I saw it I should have taken care of it right then but I didn't do anything and just went on with my day. I should douse it with peroxide before I go to bed. This morning it didn't really hurt or anything and it was a little messy but that was it now however it's been a whole day and my hand is beginning to get stiff. I don't know how severe that is but it's doing something now that I should probably take some intervention and try to minimize the the problem. I'd like to wait till Melissa can look at it and doctorate but I'll just have to do something tonight and let her take over in the morning she's really good at wound care I'm impressed with her. The Skin's torn off yet there's a small blister just to the side and I just can't figure out how I could have done this. It wasn't enough to stop me however I did enjoy afternoon at the movies watch the silly movie that probably was a waste of time something you would find on Netflix deep in Amazon somewhere. The movie I wanted to go to was started later than I wanted to hang around the movies for. Maybe this next week or something seeing. I'm sleepy tonight it's amazing how much just going to the movies will take out of me. I had to wait for an extended period in the cold for the bus to pick me up. I guess I could have motored all the way home but I just didn't feel up to the task of having the chair bounce me around like a NBA basketball. I was super glad I'm on the bus picked me up and pulled me into the warm environs even if it was a short 

trip the warmth really invigorated me for the rest of my journey.

I was intrigued the other day when I had a message from one of my granddaughters who are really haven't had that much contact with and now she has texted me thanking me for the Christmas letter I sent out she'd gotten it and she wanted to thank me for i money I had sent in the letter. This is kind of exciting for me because it's one of the first time she's reached out since I started the writing campaign couple years now. I'm really looking forward to communicating with this one granddaughter. She's in a rock and roll band and has a number of gigs there in the Oregon area. She's a little radical but that's great. The other thing I have to accept is that perhaps she's not one for literary and like her sister she communicates over the Internet over texting and I appreciate that as well. It's Sunday night and I'm exhausted really was a day of energy.

Domino's inflated

Really? It's Saturday again truly hard to believe. But it's a fairly clear day except for the inversion which has got all kinds of gunk in the air which I'm sure is somewhat diddly to me but I'm out in any way enjoying what time I can with my new chair batteries going places even if it's just the market and I did go to the coffee shop today with Janet where we gossiped and enjoyed each other's company over some coffee with the other cool guys in the area. Other than that and then running across the street for a quick run through of the market to get things I need for Saturday night and Sunday that was about it for today. Watched a couple movies on Netflix and Marvel and was just about ready to call it a day when Mark Anthony called and indicated that he had free time and would be willing to come over to help me a little bit which of course I definitely always need. This turned out to be a quite a pleasant experience as far as being able to talk while he went through my chaotic dresser full of all kinds of historical garbage that I've been carrying around for decades. We threw a lot of stuff away which really I don't need anymore which I thought that I did but I really don't and it's just good as he says to get rid of the items now that have to deal with it down the line when it's just him by himself really not knowing what to get rid of and what to keep. I would say just throw everything into the dumpster at that point but I know he would have a hard time doing that cuz I know I would have a hard time doing that. However today we meet some major inroads and enjoyed a lot of conversation at the same time we ordered a pizza and got held up as far as that goes for a small pizza ended up being like $27 unbelievable I really wanted to have a Domino's Pizza and it's been a while- - that 27 didn't really include the $2 tip. I hate to blame it on inflation and all that kind of stuff which I'm sure has something to do with the price of everything it's just incredible I'm just glad I was able to deal with it. The biggest find out of this cleanup was the old Bible with my grandfather switch I've been holding on to for some time and I'd actually thought that I had lost. The volume has some real damage done to it I think the cover is totally ripped off and I've been meaning to take it down to a binder as soon as I can find one just so I can get the document bound and let it be usable again. It's an old King James Version but he's got all of the verses he liked underlined which I think is valuable in and of itself as far as linking to my grandfather. I don't know if I'll ever find a binder and it probably will be thrown away at some point in time so I don't think anybody in my family would want to hold on to such an item. Maybe I could reach out to my cousins who shared the grandfather with me they might be interested it's that whole generation thing: after two generations the Next Generation doesn't know this other person from anybody else so it doesn't really matter to them one way or the other. That's quite a generalization and they're probably are descendants that would be interested in something like that but I don't know how I would get it to them especially after I was dead that would be a great trip I know I got appeared to them sometime when they're praying that would work …

Assist open house

The inversion continues. A very faded sunshine during the day and a thicker and thicker atmosphere made of nothing but pollution very dangerous for protected populations. I don't know if I'm a protected population I guess I could be in regards to being senior as well as probably somewhat Limited lung function but I don't feel too negative if a dog from trying to exist in the atmosphere as it stands now. I think a lot of the folks worry about me, who don't know me. These folks just see me as a person with a disability. With that thought in mind I knew it was going to be a long cold day for me because today was the December open house I.E Christmas function for one of the programs that I serve on there Advisory Board assist ink. I had to go all the way from the apartment complex downtown to Across the library which is quite a trip especially in the cold and damp evening. Fortunately everything functioned does it was supposed to. I spent a good part of the afternoon hunkered next to the heater tanking up the heat for my inbound trip. I found my semi new heavy duty Hood that was just new enough to look like it was something special to wear to an event like I was going to. I had misplaced the postcard that was sent out that had the time the open house is supposed to start and at this point in time it was almost 5:00 so I decided I was going to go regardless. I think I got to the office about 4:45 and the staff was all there if things were laid out and everything look like a party. I was impressed when I got in there that one of the staff was to make a presentation to the group along with a really nice graphic projector that events of the staff in the emergency housing situation could render images of four and after scenarios of projects we worked on during the year. When I got to the office they are actually going through the presentation they had planned to give to the folks who come to the open house. I was mildly impressed. The organization is far different than what it used to be when I first came into this town they actually have three Architects on staff! That was never done in the old days there is one architect and that was an older fellow who was also the director of the organization. The new directors quite Young also a full-fledged architect plus the other two architects.

This year's event was fairly well attended. There were contractors that the organization works with throughout the year as well as many directors and staff folk from other private non-profit agencies that also work in the area of housing and low income service provisions. People coming people go people spend a lot of time schmoozing each other. The event has become quite smaller than it used to be. In the old days the place was packed usually elbow to Elbow and seemed that they went through a lot more booze than what happens today. I got cornered by one of the folks I used to work with in the old days. We had a good discussion but it was time for me to head out since I had to come home on the train. A fog had to send it over the area as I took my leave for the train station. I was cold but I was glad to be done with this particular event. It's fun but it's also kind of harrowing to be part of the old generation that does nothing more than to remember what it was like in the old days …

 

Wicked, wickedly unsatisfying

 Some times I wish I could go back in time, to a time when I was not so stressful. For some reason I've misplaced my cell phone. The only thing that makes the stress less tell us is that I know it's somewhere in the apartment here I just can't find it right now. Fortunately, I hear the thing signaling off and on is new emails her transferred to the cell phone. I've looked all over the apartment in between commercials on my Thursday night viewing but as of yet no luck. Many times when I get it this point of frustration I tend to look at my foot box on my power chair and sometimes on the overhang on my cushion. Days past the cell phone has landed on one of those two areas. So far I've looked down between my legs as well as check things out on the mirror and does she have yet have not found the calling device. I just hate how my whole life is wrapped up and that stupid little plastic device. Everything from vital phone number Qnumbers to Total Access to my bank account. I really kind of miss my landline I always felt comfortable but I'd look at the trusty Princess phone and know that calls would come in and I can make calls out and not lose the phone. I don't know if that made much sense but you know what I mean I'm not going to lose the phone cuz it's always plugged into the wall.. I would gladly go back to that time where it possible. It's getting late now and I'm not going to spend much more time worried about silly cell phone. I think I will Cruise the apartments one more time I'll lift some things up to see where it might be hiding and if I can't find it oh well. I think I will wait till in the morning and then have Melissa Scout the device out. She really is good that this kind of stuff I'm always amazed at her ability to come up with Solutions to problems I've suffered hours on. 

I went to the movies today following the coffee social. I wanted to make sure got the movie Wicked and under my belt. To be honest with you I was quite disappointed in the musical. I don't know what I was expecting but it sure was not entertaining in fact I kept falling asleep through the whole thing. I really don't know but everybody sees in this production except for a lot of green face shots of the star. But I had finished the movie I rolled over to the bus stop and the bus was leaving just as I got there. So rather than wait around to the cold for the next bus even though it would be just 15 minutes I decided I would road test out the new batteries and as q D1 how they held charge until I got home which I did. The commute was straightforward kind of fun a little chilly but I didn't have any issues at all with the amount of power I had, no flashing lights or slowing down. I had maximum power all the way home and I'm still reading 90% charAge wand today's travel time or distance was 3.3 miles I feel great.