Saturday Boredom

Hi, y'all.

I'm a little bit bored this evening. Early evening.

This morning I bit the bullet and downloaded Windows 10. It took awhile, but the process was seamless and easy even for a non-techie like me. Microsoft did a good job with this, from my point of view.

So now I'm facing something I've often wanted to face but didn't quite have the guts: Windows 10 does not have the simple solitaire and mahjong games that I've used to mindlessly while away time. Alas. The iPad doesn't have any, either. Yes, I could download some, but every time I try that I'm disappointed with what I got.

It's just as well, really. I need/want to not be so devoted to them anyway.  I still have the New York Times crossword puzzle, as well as their new spelling game (which I love!) and a few others I haven't tried. I'll just need to read, or something worthwhile, instead of mindless play.

Mostly, after the go-round with Microsoft this morning and a few errands about town afterwards, I've spent the day with The Queen. Signed up for my annual 30-day free trial of Netflix a couple of days ago, opted to watch most of season 2 to jog my memory, and am now into season 3, which I haven't seen yet.

One of my new neighbors is a wonderful artist (as in, a pro who actually sells her work) and she gave me a print for my birthday. Today I found the perfect frame for it, but the foam backing is too thick for the frame so she's going to switch it to a thinner backing tomorrow for me. It looks absolutely smashing, I must admit. The photo does not do it full justice, as I couldn't get the colors exactly right, but it's pretty close. Then there's the glare on the frame, and the fact that it's crooked. But -- you get the idea. The colors are vibrant and strong and well balanced and the brass frame was perfect for it -- as soon as I put the print into the frame at the store, it sang to me.

What will Sunday bring? Laundry, for one. Rain. A couple of good books to read, and some exercise machines in the next room waiting to be used.

Merry Ho Ho

Christmas Eve, and it's the grinch here, as always.

Aside from being totally unable to forget/ignore the date and still live in the western world, my body and mind are sensing the end of a season that has for decades been unpleasant, to say the least. Thankfully, I'm long past the years when I'd go into a real funk every year, often not realizing what the problem was until the sunlight of my mind reappeared magically when the season was over. Or perhaps worse, realizing what the problem was but unable to do anything to stop it.

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz, oh what a relief it is! I used to work with the people who created that Alka Seltzer ad. Apropos of nothing.

Nowadays, though, the 'funk' has become much more insidious and sneaky so I don't necessarily realize it's even happening, though I realize something is off. Or, as in this year, I've noticed an increase in anxiety and sleeplessness, a general uneasiness and certainly a need to eat too much of the wrong foods. Comfort foods. But I didn't realize the extent of any of this until the last day or so when I noticed it starting to lighten up. Because it's almost over again for another year. I'm beginning to be more inclined to want healthier foods, and less interested in the red wine of an evening. I feel some inner excitement blossoming because the end is near, only another day or two left (and a few days after that before the media lets go of the fuss and advertising completely).

And here I thought I was such an expert at spotting this! Sometimes, it still beats me because now it's become quiet and sneaky in its ways.

For the first time since I've lived in this building (a little over 3 years now), I've appreciated the community this season. Much more connected to some people (possibly because I've reached out more). It's been a comfort I didn't expect, but appreciate very much now.

Wherever you are, whatever you celebrate or don't celebrate this time of the year, may you be happy.

Old age ain't for sissies

I've been quiet because not much is happening, since my bike ride on Sunday. 

And speaking of Sunday, sometime during that day I noticed a bit of a tender spot on the sole of one foot. It felt something like what we used to call rock bruises. I didn't really think too much about it, because I've had a lot of those over the years.

By Monday, however, it was hurting a good bit more. I took a look, and there was a small round red/blue bump surrounded by red skin. I thought it might be a blood blister, though I've never had one.

By yesterday, it was still there, still sore, showed no signs of going away. My doctor couldn't fit me in this week at all, and I sure didn't think it warranted a $40 copay for urgent care.

By this morning, after a rough night of little sleep (not because of the foot, though aggravated because since my attention was on the foot I felt discomfort whenever the foot encountered the bedding), I opted for another option, a walk-in clinic at a group where I used to have a primary care physician.

It's a good thing I went. Great doctor who probably spent an hour with me. First used a needle to try and drain it, but the pain was really intense. He tried some numbing cream, which really didn't help, then a numbing injection that also really, really hurt but didn't numb it enough. A second syringe of the stuff did the job and after that I didn't care what he did. He was able to drain it quickly and lo and behold, a blood clot emerged. Not a huge one, maybe a little more than pinhead size, but enough to make the surrounding tissues very unhappy.

Fortunately it was not a dangerous kind of clot -- the DVT kind that can break loose and cause havoc in the heart.

Hopefully I'm now on the mend, and hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight because I'm really, really groggy and tired. Just wanted to say hello. Is anybody listening?

Old folks have the best stories to tell

It's so easy for all of us, me included, to look at old people and not see past the thinning grey hair, the saggy, baggy, wrinkled skin to the person inside.

I live in an old-folks home, of sorts. Not a place with facilities or care or meals, merely an apartment building for people over 55. One of our residents will be celebrating her 100th birthday this Friday, and while many people rely upon aides to come in during the week to help with bathing, laundry, cleaning, whatever is needed, an equal number are self-sufficient, still have cars and travel as they wish.

Up until a couple of weeks ago we had three married couples living here, then one of the men died. This was a couple who everyone here respected and admired, especially the wife, who tended her husband both at home and in his frequent hospital and/or nursing home visits, where she would stay with him night and day for the duration. The devotion was astounding to watch these past few years, but while I knew who they were and spoke to them a couple of times when I'd encounter them, I didn't really know them.

A couple of days after I learned that he'd died I was on another floor to meet with a couple of friends, who happened to be in the hallway speaking with the widow when I arrived, so I joined them. We learned that they were married for 67 years. I don't know what they did for the rest of their lives, but that day I also learned that they had been lighthouse keepers at one of Oregon's many lighthouses for 17 years, many years ago.

Lots of people here have interesting stories, though I only know a fraction of them. One used to train racehorses (trotting/pacing horses that pulled sulkys, not thoroughbreds that race with jockeys), again, many years ago in another life. One is an artist and poet and all around free-spirit who lived in Mexico much of her life and has only 'retired' in recent years due to a health issue. One went to school and became a car mechanic at an advanced age and at one time many years ago raced cars.

Looking at them -- us -- people see the sags and bags and droops and wrinkles, and never look for or think about the interesting lives behind them. I'm guilty, too, but my horizons are certainly opening up.

Life in old age

Hello, world. Is anybody still out there?

Yes, it's been almost a year since I last posted my nonsense here, but lately I've found that my need to communicate has been somewhat renewed and instead of using the blog, I've bombarded a friend (a patient friend).

For some unknown reason, life has seemed a lot better in recent months. I've had more energy, despite still not sleeping well, thus that need to communicate, to use my brain for something other than crossword puzzles. Granted, this blog has never been a major brain event -- quite the opposite, most of the time.

So what have I been up to?

Genealogy: I've solved two long-time 'brick walls' using DNA. Plus I've confirmed all the info I already had on all of my family lines using DNA. Since for me the fun of genealogy is the hunt, the puzzle, playing the detective and searching for clues, I find that is now less time-consuming and less interesting. Something has to fill that gap, and the TV sure doesn't cut it.

Hiking: I've had a real urge to get into the forest again, but while hiking alone has never been a problem for me, nowadays I find that I just want company, if I can find it. Had the bright idea a few days ago to approach a few people here who I thought might enjoy some local hiking (and be physically able). I posted notes on their doors, then headed to the southside to a trail I hiked a lot when I lived down there.  As was always a problem with this trail, it was heavily used even early on a Monday morning, and populated with unleashed dogs, runners, and mountain bikes. None of these were rude, but I've certainly encountered rudeness in the past and I hate sharing trails with mountain bikes. After 27 minutes of slow uphill progress, I decided I didn't need to reach the top and turned around. I'm really not in shape for hills. Yet.

Yesterday one of my neighbors went with me to another trail in the same park, one where mountain bikes are not allowed and that is not as heavily traveled. I had to find the highway trailhead, since I always walked there from home, but once that was solved we were on our way. The trailhead sign said 1.3 miles to the next road. Hilly miles. Bike tire tread marks on the trail, but didn't meet any. Met a few other hikers and a large group of local firemen (and let's face it ladies, firemen tend to be real eye candy -- young and fit and cute) who were practicing rescue on a hillside. We reached the next trailhead not long afterward, and contrary to Monday, having company made it seem easier. This trail is also more rolling hills, not straight up like the first one. I was quite stiff and sore after Monday, and am sure I will feel yesterday's to some extent. But this is good. My body needs it. And so does my mind.

Tomorrow, walking the nearby ponds with a new resident who physically can't walk fast or for long trips, but who seems really interesting. I'm happy to have company for local walks, too, as they get really boring when I'm alone so I rarely do them.

Garden: still growing some delish foodstuffs in my 4x4 raised box. Lots of garlic last winter. Lots of salad veg spring and early summer. Experimented for the first time with cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts this fall. One head of cabbage, which was utterly delicious. So far one large head of broccoli with three others that should be ready in the next week. and two stalks of brussels sprouts, immature and yet to be sampled. I was so pleased with the cabbage that I bought more seedlings of a winter variety, plus some rainbow chard. Yesterday planted 4 garlic cloves, as garlic is a great pest repellant for the entire bed.

So -- my need to communicate this morning is now scratched. Later!

More snow....

Day 3. More snow overnight. Looks like about 6" from up here, on top of cars. Looks pretty much like it did the morning of Day 1, aside from tire tracks down the parking lot and piles of snow alongside sidewalks. I was hoping to be able to catch a bus today for some grocery shopping, but it seems unlikely they will run today. I won't starve -- far from it -- but will certainly have to live without fresh veggies and kefir (made from milk, which ran out today). The good news is that it's forecast to be a bit warmer today (all of 41F!), above-freezing tonight and no precip the next two days. This should clear away rather quickly if all that happens.

Record snow in Eugene!

Day two of being snowed in! Total of about 11 inches, which is said to be a record for Eugene. It all fell in less than 24 hours, beginning in the evening and continuing until near noon yesterday.

Some of us (yours truly included) had to get out in it. I went out once early morning to take garbage and recycling, had to wade through 8" of virgin snow. That part was easy. The hard part, which I hadn't thought of, was that there was also 8" of snow on top of the lids to those two big containers. I had to brush a good bit of snow off before I could get them open. Barehanded.

Then, I hiked through more virgin snow to my car where I used a brush and long-handled squeegee to get all the snow off the car, except for the top. I went out again later and removed the next 2-3" that had piled up in the interim. Also went out to my garden spot, which has a frost-gard 'tent' over the entire bed. Inside the tent are 6 baby romaine seedlings I planted last week. Over those are two layers of frost-gard kind of crumpled right over them, held up by supports. I had my doubts that these babies survived the cold, so I brushed all the snow off the tent, peeked inside and voila! those little seedlings looked happy as can be.

Looking the other way -- ruts of a big truck that brought two very nice men from our landscaping company who shoveled all the walkways and some of the handicap areas, sprinkled them with de-icer. A couple of folks have driven over it, though why anybody is out in this mess I'll never know. Our power has been on the entire time, but much of the town is apparently without power, lots of trees down, etc. And while the city/county have snow plows, it's not like what a town in some area that gets lots of snow would have. The bus system did not operate all day yesterday but I understand they are on limited 'Sunday' schedules today. Fortunately, I have enough food that I don't really need to go out, and I don't plan on moving that car until all this is g-o-n-e! I don't do ice and snow.