Category Archives: Ramblings

10 Stress-Relieving Tips

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We all have stress and some people handle it so much better than others. I don’t normally feel too stressed because I have a system in place. We all have a daily routine from the time we get up in the morning to the time we go to bed. My daily routine includes stress-relieving tactics throughout the day.

Here’s my list of tips. I hope they’re useful to you.

  1. Journaling – Either online or off, handwritten or typed. It doesn’t matter. It helps to write down what you’re feeling.
  2. Music – It doesn’t really matter what kind of music you listen to, just listen. If you like jazz, listen to jazz. If you like heavy metal, listen to heavy metal. Avoid songs that make you cry or take you back to a time when things were difficult. Songs that make you feel good will reduce your stress level.
  3. Hobbies – A hobby can be very relaxing. It gets your mind off what’s causing you stress. It doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby. If you like to draw, then draw. If you like to work in the garden, do that! I like to crochet, and I crochet every day.
  4. Bath Time – Take time out for a good soak in the tub. Light some candles, pour a cup of tea or wine, and have a good bubble bath! Tell people you will be unavailable for 30 minutes (or whatever time you desire).
  5. Pets – Cuddle with a pet. Nothing makes me feel better than the unconditional love, purrs, and head bonks of my kitties. If you have dogs, cuddle with them on the couch.
  6. Netflix – Yep, watch a movie. Choose something uplifting or funny. Something to boost your mood, not make you feel bad.
  7. Exercise – Whatever kind of exercise you like to do, do that. Take a nice long walk if other exercise is not your thing.
  8. Say No! You have the right to say no. Don’t over-extend yourself. You need time to recharge. If you need it, take it. Say no. No explanation, just NO!
  9. Meditation – I know it takes practice. It’s very difficult to block everything out, including your own thoughts. Keep practicing. There are some awesome guided meditations available. Just do a search on YouTube or buy a CD.
  10. And if none of that helps, go kick your asshole neighbor in the nuts.

Of course, I’m kidding! It was a test to see if you were paying attention! But seriously, what would you add to this list?

 

 

 

The Downpour

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10

I asked Dad if it was going to rain today. He said, “If it does, we won’t see much of it.” Boy, was he wrong.

When we left the house, it was sprinkling a little. No worries there. I can handle a little sprinkling. We set up the drip buckets for the leaks in the house, just in case. I hate this old house more and more each day. 

I wouldn’t even have bothered going out if I hadn’t needed Jack’s prednisolone and Baytril refilled. I had to go to our vet’s office for that and then over to Walmart for a few not-so-necessary necessities. We didn’t get very far when it started to rain a bit more. Still, no worries. All of a sudden the rain started coming down like someone dumping buckets of water on the windshield! Holy crap. I could barely see! The wipers were going as fast as they could go and I was driving much, much slower now. There wasn’t much traffic on this country highway but there were a few vehicles in front of us. The tail lights were barely visible. The wind had picked up and I worried that we might be driving into a tornado or something! All of a sudden we saw something go across the road…turned out to be a heavy duty plastic garbage can, used for roadside trash collection. The wind had blown it across the road! About 3 miles outside of the town we were headed to, the rain subsided. My hands were a bit achy after having such a grip on the steering wheel!

I was a wreck after that nearly 30 minutes drive in a downpour but I managed to walk and carry on my goal for the day. We picked up Jack’s meds as planned and then decided to go have a bite to eat. Our norm for lunches is Mexican food so we headed over to Los Amigos. As we were getting out of the car I noticed something dangling from Dad’s underarm. I had to laugh as I grabbed my handy little Swiss Army knife to cut the tag off his shirt. I bought him a few new shirts the week before and I guess he never thought to remove the tags! We had a good chuckle and a good meal then headed over to Walmart.

Walmart wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I managed to get a scooter, although the battery died half-way through the store. I went on my way of gathering up what I needed, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone following me. I moved to the side thinking this person just wanted to get past me. Nope. Still behind me. I started to go down different aisles thinking this person would go somewhere else. Nope. Still behind me. I thought, Son of a bitch! I had just about enough of this so I pulled to the side of the aisle, and turned around very quickly to give this person a piece of my mind because after all, he was following just a little too closely! I was a little embarrassed but thought it was hilarious that it was just Dad in his new shirt and I didn’t recognize him out of the corner of my eye. I must’ve had one evil look on my face because he chuckled and asked, “What’s the matter?” I explained and we laughed again. We finished our business and left.

On the way out of town, we stopped for gas. As if today hadn’t been strange enough already, while Dad was pumping the gas for me (I normally do it but he has decided that he needs to learn how to use these ‘newfangled’ pumps and his debit card) I happened to notice a guy pumping gas and smoking a cigarette. As if that wasn’t scary enough, he set the pump on lock to pump automatically, and then he walked away and started pacing the lot with that cigarette dangling out of his mouth. He looked like he was on something or up to something, one or the other. I was worried. I didn’t know what this guy’s problem was. When the pump stopped, the man removed the nozzle and went inside to pay for his gas, still with that cigarette dangling from his lips. I was relieved when the man came out and drove away. Dad was still trying to figure out where his receipt was. Finally, he got in the car with his receipt. He said he had been looking on the left-hand side of the pump for the receipt to come out but it came out on the right-hand side. He’s so funny sometimes but he figured it out. At least he did it without a tag hanging off his shirt!

Thankfully the rain had stopped, and we left for home. I guess it didn’t do too much raining at the house, because none of the leaks had sprung and everything was fine. Of course, Jack & his Pack weren’t too happy because the catio was wet and they don’t like that one little bit! I swear, they must think I make it rain on purpose!

Rot & Bones & An Uh Oh Moment

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Last Wednesday and Thursday my son was over to do some repair on a couple of floors in our house. I say repair, but it was more like demolition and replace. It was a horrid mess. Old houses. What are you going to do?

When my son pulled back the carpet in the spare bedroom he found serious rot, as expected. Half the room had to be pulled up. Some of the joists were rotten as well. He also found some animal bones. I’m pretty sure they’re skunk bones. We’ve heard commotion under the house so many times over the years, and then had the pleasure of “skunk” for days afterward. Just awful.

There’s a small area in front of the front door that has been a bit soft for a while. My son decided to fix that, too. When he pulled up the linoleum, it was a big rotten mess, too.

The job got done, Dad supervising most of the time, and helping a little. Thank goodness we had air conditioning or that Italian blood my son has running through his veins would have boiled.

 

Yesterday is one of the days we take our garbage up to the dumpster, which is about 1/4 mile up the road. I gathered up the garbage, Dad loaded up the car and ventured up the road. He was gone an awfully long time so I started to worry. At first, I thought he just ran into someone up there who liked to chew a guy’s ear off, but Dad knows not to hang out too long because he knows I’ll worry. 12 minutes had passed. It takes about 4 minutes, 5 tops to get up there, toss the garbage and then drive back. 15 minutes passed. Great. What the hell was I supposed to do? I’m disabled and Dad has our only vehicle. I wondered, Should I call 911? I knew something had happened and I was really worried. About that time, a beat-up pick-up pulls into our driveway. It looked like the passenger might be Dad so I waited.

Sure enough, Dad got out of the truck and I opened the front door. I asked him what had happened and I seriously thought he had run off the road or got hit or something serious. He told me that he left the car running while he unloaded and dumped the garbage but he remembered that he forgot a big box in the backseat. So he opened the car door, pushed the button on the fob, accidentally locking the car. He didn’t realize it until after he slammed the car door shut! He knew I was going to worry!

He tried the closest neighbor which is right next door to the dumpster and no one was home. He then went across the road to the other neighbor’s house. He hoped someone was home who could drive (the man who lives there is very old and disabled) so he could get a ride back up here to get my fob. He sure didn’t want, nor did he need to be walking 1/4 mile back home, UPHILL in this HEAT!! Thankfully, the elderly man was home and he was able to drive. So, he drove Dad home to get my fob and then back up to the car.

After a couple of minutes, Dad was back home safe and sound but exhausted and a bit stressed. He’s 82 years old, after all.

The Chair

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15

 

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About 3 weeks ago we had a thunderstorm that zapped my power lift chair. I could have still used it had it not died in the “up” position! I had so hoped it was just a loose connection but no such luck. The next thought was that perhaps there was a reset button underneath, somewhere near the motor. Nope. Do you want to know what my next thought was? No, you don’t. 

For a week I thought I was going to have to buy a new motor. I didn’t even want to go online and search for the correct model. I did though, and it wasn’t as expensive as I thought it would be, but wondered if we could even manage to replace it ourselves. I didn’t know how difficult it might be.

The more I thought about it, the more I thought that it wasn’t the motor after all. The power box would have been hit by a power surge first. The light on the box wasn’t lighting up, indicating that it was not getting power. So, I searched for a replacement. Luckily it was much less than the motor would have cost. Less than $20 compared to just under $100 for the motor…the more favorable is obvious! I ordered it and waited patiently for Amazon to ship it. 

In the meantime, I struggled to get in and out of my old recliner. I had to have help a few times. The damn thing was just too low, too soft, and it rocks. That made it difficult to get out of without twisting and turning and my bones just can’t handle that these days. My back (and knees) hurt like hell because of all the twisting but I shoved along…praying that the new power box would indeed, fix the problem with my power chair. 

Day of delivery came (June 21) and I was terribly disappointed when I received word that my shipment wouldn’t arrive until the following Tuesday. I checked the tracking information and found that on June 20, it was in MO where it should have been but for some idiotic reason the damn thing ended up in Minnesota! So I had to push through a few more days of hell.

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By the time Tuesday came, my back hurt so bad that I was nearly in tears. When the power box finally arrived, I was so happy but still worried that it wouldn’t fix the problem. We pulled my power chair out of the corner, plugged in the new box and gave it a test. IT WORKED! I was so happy! 

I’m back in my power chair, careful to unplug if we’re going to have a storm. I need to get a surge protector next time I venture out. I don’t want to do this again! My back is slowly beginning to feel better. I find I can get up from the power chair sometimes without using the lift mechanism because it’s firm, not so low and it’s stationary. But at least I have the lift when I need it.