Follow Me

Once again, I sit in front of my computer thinking, why – WHY – I don’t get everything done that I plan to do in a specific length of time, such as a day from 6 am to midnight.  I thought I’d walk through the day to see what happens along the way.  You’ve seen this from me, before, but it bears another examination.  So, I pick, today – a Friday.

We’ll actually begin on Thursday afternoon.  I had planned to do my week’s washing – but by 10 pm, there it was, still sitting on the bed in the proper piles of texture and colors.  Some of them went into the split, white-oak basket with a handle so I can carry wash to be basement.  The rest went back into the hamper.

It was also in my plan to attend my Lion’s Club holiday party, but, as Larry’s mom used to say, I just felt “punk,” all day.  So, I didn’t go; even though one of the Lions Club members was going to pick me up, since I don’t drive after dark.  I was going to take roasted vegetables for the potluck (I love roasted vegetables, and I love to prepare them).  And, now there they all are sitting on the counter with the walnut oil and pan I was going to use for roasting them.  Maybe, I’ll use them, tomorrow – just for myself.

At 6 am, I gave Kate her meds after she had been outside.  Next meds would be about 1 pm or so.  Kate and Lady and I went back to bed for an hour, rising at 7.  Changed some clothing for the treadmill and spent time with it.  Two miles per hour, today.  I think that is fast enough.

After the treadmill, I checked to see if e-mail brought me anything that I absolutely needed to read and send a response or delete it.  I had started a fire in the Nashua wood stove, earlier  Before laying in the wood, I cleaned out the ashes and put them into the ash bucket, to be stored for about two days until they are cold and dead enough to dispose of in the trash.  I certainly don’t want to start a fire in the trash truck!   Now, it is time to lay in the fire and start the burn.  It is getting cold in the house.  I really don’t mind the cold.  But, when the temp is below 63 or so in the living room, I start the wood stove.  And, turn on the ceiling fans in the kitchen, bedroom, TV room, and the Big Room to circulate the warmed air.  After the fire is well started, I check it every thirty minutes or so to control the vent and add wood, as necessary.  And, for about every other addition of wood, I bring more wood from the wood piles into the house.

Before going on – have you checked your public service bill during the past month.  Mind doubled!  Hence, the temperature in my house will be lower, and the burning of wood will increase.  And, Daughter #1 is absolutely correct.  Even though it will have little effect on the bill, lights will be turned off on a regular basis.  When I was a kid, we had one string light hanging in the middle of each room from the ceiling.  I hated that.  You had to walk into the room, swing your hand around in the air until you actually caught the string for the light to turn it on.  I hated that!  So, when I became a mom, I did not require my kids to always walk into a dark room.  I don’t like walking into a dark room.  But, that will now change because our public service company is gouging it’s customers.

I start a load of wash that I took downstairs, last night.  Every forty-five minutes, I’ll be down stairs:  loading the washer, transferring the wash to the dryer, hanging the dry wash, reloading the washer, carrying the dry wash upstairs to closets.  This is repeated for four loads of wash.

I see the dogs’ water bowl is empty and take time to fill it.  I don’t remember eating any breakfast (it’s always one-half packet of oatmeal, a little milk, and blueberries, if I have them).  And, because I didn’t have breakfast, I didn’t take my morning meds (they have to be taken after breakfast).  It’s lunch time, so I prepare some canned soup, eat it, and take my morning meds.  About noon; which means the night meds have to wait until after 10 pm.

I start writing this blog, but pause after a couple of paragraphs, I remember to walk across the snow packed street (using my cane for stability) to get the mail that was delivered last night after dark.  Our postal people have terrible schedules in our neighborhood, and the mail never arrives during the day.  They wear those lights on their headbands to see.

I’m also working on my list for grocery-store-pick-up; I work on it until it was done.  I’ll pick it up, tomorrow.  Back to the blog.

Dogs need to go outside.  Katie needs to walk on the treadmill for five minutes.  It’s time for their evening food, but both of the smaller food containers are empty, so I need to get more from their food bags before they can be fed.

I do get started on vacuuming the front room area rug.  I can vacuum for as long as it takes to clean about a three-by-three foot area.  Then, I need to sit somewhere for my back to recover and readjust.  It takes a while to get the rug finished.  And, maybe¸ the vacuuming will have to go into tomorrow.

Now, it is supper time, and I need to figure out what I’m going to eat.  The phone rings, and I get to talk with Sister Clara.  Then, I figure out what to eat for supper – Cheerios and milk with some walnuts and raisins.  I’ve stopped drinking coffee of any kind (I really miss the taste), so I make some spiced apple cider.  It is warm and good.

Time for the dogs to go outside, again.  We all go into the TV room; I pull the cardboard closure across the doorway to keep them in the room with me.  Lady reminds me that it is time for their night treat; she jumps on my leg, repeatedly, to remind me.  She gets three individual treats; Kate gets her one treat cut into three pieces.  They can count to three (at least); I know that because Lady keeps jumping on my leg until she has had three treats.  Then, she leaves me alone.  Kate gets three pieces of the one treat because she apparently feels left out if she doesn’t get three treats!

I continue working on the laptop computer until about 11 pm.  Then, it is time to think about bed.  Kate has already put herself to bed – about 10 pm.  Lady stays sleeping in her bed on the loveseat in the TV room.  She will go to bed with me at about midnight.  I turn on the electric blanket and the oxygen concentrater (2 ml setting) that feeds into the CPAP machine when I get into bed and turn it on.

And, very quickly, it’s six o’clock in the morning, and it starts again.

Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are greatly appreciated.