I'm tired of cooking/preparing 3 meals a day. It's just the two of us but boy oh boy can that woman eat!! She stays slimish, I get fattish. It's bad enough I do everything here much less start making her one thing and me the other. At times I feel guilty when I buy her fast food cuz of the nutritional value....not to mention I eat it too.
When there is rain, leaks occur with many of my neighbors.
One year, I called the fire dept. business line to ask for a referral to help my 90 y.o. neighbor with rain pouring into his home. Unexpectedly, they said that they will be right there, and draped his house, using their own tarp! Our Fire Department has been very helpful with many Senior Issues! (Sure I have told this before, but it is so kind of them, bears repeating.)
Wondering if there are unique ways to melt snow?
CWillie, Your neighbor is a real pain! You know those huge cement barriers used in streets to block cars? I would call the Public Works (in U.S.A.) --maybe you have an equivalent in Canada. Ask them to place a barrier that would re-direct the flow of paint and snow away from your driveway. Otherwise, you could place sand-bags to do the same. Be sure to paint the sandbags green! Is that too far-fetched?
way - it's a tough time for your family. I am sure your hub will deal with it when the time comes, but in his way. Hopefully your nephew will have a chance to unwind now that his mom is placed. You too. Deep breaths. You can't shoulder it all. I know about the PTSD. In time it should lessen. Please try to focus on something else when the angst comes. The wolf you feed is the one that grows.(Old Cherokee saying.) You can work on not flipping that switch.
nacy - glad you are working on letting it go more and that your Thanksgiving was good. Walking always helps! What you said about you never know what tomorrow brings. Oh yes! Better to enjoy today as you can.
psue - pumpkins for the critters and sparkly frost are great. Thank you for the compliment. I think you are special too. Re looking after husbands, we all may face that and you are in spades right now. Be sure you look after yourself very well as you go though this period of your lives. Put yourself first as you need to. This is for your survival and also for him. So much about his care needs you in good shape. As well your dd and dgd need you. And you need yourself!
Hugs to everyone. Try to have a good day.
When we can no longer be shoveling snow, you will have peace if you can accept your limitations. You can do other things well, even better than when younger because of the wisdom that comes with age.
Of course you want to remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible. In many cases, I can still do lots of physical chores. But it may require a few days unable to walk, or too much pain, in bed. So, hiring out the chore allows me to function better by not hurting myself.
Ask some parents or grandparents at church to send over their sons to shovel snow in exchange for something you can give. They will want cash. At some churches, the Youth Pastor sends out teens to help the community at no charge, and calls it their "service of worship". Call the Youth Pastor up if you are snowed in.
Don't be too proud to reach out and ask for help. You are worth it.
Or, a senior center if you have one.
Glad what I whine about helps , although your situation is different with caregiving for a spouse .
Your posts are very helpful as well , as the thought of needing to care for my spouse someday has crossed my mind , even though we are the same age . I’m trying to build up some reserve to be ready if needed.
Have decided to treat myself to wine this Christmas and try to keep my mind off my whines for a few days , baking and cooking .
But then I dread that feeling that will come back after the holidays are over .
Will be back to forever angsting , waiting for the other shoe to drop . It’s a waiting room I let myself get in too often since my parents got old . Even though they have been passed away awhile , I still can wander into that waiting room over many things . It’s like a flip switched permanently .
The sun is shining after several days of fog! The frost is so sparkly I can almost not see the maple and oak leaves I neglected to rake off the lawn. Sunshine coming through the East windows makes everything feel more possible today.
Wonderful news about your new doctor possibilities! That is definitely reason to rejoice. Selfish beast that I am, I want you healthy for as long as possible so I can benefit from your wisdom and interesting life! You are a special lady.
Nacy and Way, the cold and dark can definitely make troubles more troubling and you both have had more than your share. I want you to know that your sharing them has helped me understand things I didn’t before. It’s a layer of understanding I need and I appreciate.
Only a few months ago sis was aware she was getting worse and even said she may have to go into a care home .
But she has crossed over the line to where she no longer recognizes any problems , and believes she is being placed “ too young “. She is stuck on the fact that Mom was in her late 80’s and grandma was 90 when they were removed from their homes. Since the phone call she has texted , “ I hope you get put away at 69 too and see how you like it “. She is in a perpetual loop about her age . She is not herself anymore at all .
MIL , uggh , DH is back to ignoring it again . Can’t blame him since she won’t listen . However , I personally would be trying to reach out to others , namely her partner’s son , his Mom’s primary doctor . DH , may eventually , try to reach out . If not, some disaster will force a change .
DH left messages with his aunt but she must have changed her number . She’s the one person we thought MIL may listen to .
Yes , PTSD is roaring for me the last two days for sure . Sis sounds a lot like Mom right now . Mostly I’m worried about my nephew who’s dealing with her in person . He’s very stressed out .
nacy - good to keep warm.. I noticed you are getting more anxious about your mother. Please don't let it build - it's not helping her and it hurts you. You have set your boundaries, which is great, Do what you can and let the rest go. She is declining, like all of us. It's inevitable. No one can stop it. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving after the Thanksgiving. Sounds like you have about the same day lengths as us. Makes the winters a bit dark for a while.
way ((((hugs)))) this is so hard. How are you going to handle it if she makes frequent calls? You have been through this more than once before. It must be triggering some pretty uncomfortable feelings and memories. And mil's situation is not getting better. I am so sorry. Please look after yourself, plan some things just for you, Take mental breaks from it all.
Today an anti-whine, I dropped in at the local drs office I want to go to as they said they will be getting a new doctors and guess what? They have a new doctor and I was told to come in next week and talk to her. Yay!!! Prayers for this to work out would be appreciated. That office is 5-10 minutes drive away!
Farm land view was what I was looking for here, rolling hills, wheat fields. These are the views of my childhood. We looked at 2 houses that fit the bill but one was in an area that regularly floods and the other was half indoor swimming pool! So, here we are and I am learning to love fungi and tolerate blackberry brambles and smooth geranium. I have no idea how one dresses for -18F! Brutal! But 312 days of sunshine is wonderful!
I see a great new friend in your future - and maybe some line dancing!
However we are the sunniest province in Canada with over 312 days of sunshine per year. Other provinces have more cloud. That makes a difference.
I can see where the change of scenery would be hard. For me I must see trees. but not necessarily be cocooned by them Here we get some farm land and some trees which is very prairie and I like it.
You mentioned once on some thread that you couldn't handle the cold we get here. It's all what you are used to I think, In Fort Mc we got down to minus 40 occasionally. That was COLD by anyone's standards. What we have here is milder though it was minus 28C (-18F) here the other day which is bad for this time of year. As long as you dress for it, it's ok.
We had students at the college from parts of Africa and they adapted, though the first cold weather must have been a shock for them.
My neighbour lady who invited me to coffee is 85 and she line dances every week as well as volunteering at a thrift shop 2x a week. Her mother is 104 and still has all her marbles. Go girl!!!
I checked Balsam Hill for their flat trees and they were all sold out. That’s probably good - they are stupid-expensive. Really nice though. I think I’ll just make do with my little Target skinny mini this year and try to be a little more proactive next year.
I do love the cozy quirkiness of this odd little house. I just feel a little boxed in sometimes and it’s strange to see nothing but trees out the windows when I’ve been looking at miles of sky and snow-capped mountains for 25 years. This is just a more ‘contained’ kind of beauty.
However the silver lining was that there was lots of chat and I got an invite from my neighbour to have a coffee and a good chat with her sometime.
And I figured out that in the case of a fire I would have to leave the cat behind. She will not be picked up and if there really was a fire I couldn't take the time to chase her and try to grab her and get her into her basket. it took me weeks to train her with treats to go into it to get her down here. I guess I should do that again and keep it up.
nacy thx - I think my brain fog today is an aftermath of the allergy hit. it takes a few days to get it all out of my system.
Psue - you moved for different reasons than I did and other things have happened in the meanwhile (hubbie's health). I sure hope it all works out for you.
My whine this morning - in my brain fogged state with a slip of the finger I deleted all my inbox. Cwillie - have a good laugh on that one. I have rectified my error pretty well. I restored most of my delete folder and then went back and re-deleted lots. Don't think I have lost anything important. I usually move that stuff to folders. Not a day for me to be doing much that matters.
Way, there definitely are Christmas tree options out there, I should not have waited so long to figure out what will work. Luckily, GD’s opinion is all that really matters and she has a great big tree at home and a mom and dad that are really good at filling Christmas with fun experiences. My house is just an accessory!
Psue downsizing has pros and cons. For me mainly pros. I am sure you will figure something out but it may be different from what you are used to.
Way - what a great idea! I looked up on Amazon and there are flat ones and flat back ones.
They have small flat Christmas trees you can hang on a wall . Take something else off the wall temporarily . I ordered one for my sister ( Amazon ) , her room in AL is small .
way. I'm sure it's not just condos though I lived in my Ft Mc house for over 40 years without interference. I agree your neighbour needs something else to do. What you grow on your lot is your business, not his.
Psue - I don't know if it is that way with all condos etc. Seems more likely than with individual houses. You live more on top of one another.
My whine today - bought and ate some of a dessert that was supposed to be gluten and dairy free, and had a reaction so didn't sleep well. Last night I took a decongestant and was up till 2 am. That'll teach me!!! R now has to finish up the dessert. He doesn't mind at all.
I don’t have an HOA or board or any rules to follow .
The guy that lives behind me is a self appointed mayor.
It’s not just condos . I have a large backyard , my neighbor behind is not happy that I got rid of a long row of huge ornamental grass recently . It was costing a fortune to have it cut down each Fall and hauled away . So this time got it taken out for good . We call him the mayor. He’s out walking the neighborhood critiquing all day long . He should go back to work . He’s bored .
PamZ - I looked it up and mud shakes are Vodka based drinks. R said he has seen her son on the balcony with drinks so that may be it Or it may be her too.
cw - never had a mud shake or a mud slide. I think my neighbour is a little "different" personality wise and doesn't have great social skills. Neither does the cart nazi for that matter. R said he met the neighbour today and she was going on about how nice it was to have met me??? She blows hot and cold.
Oh well. 🙄