Saturday, October 6, 2018

Saturday and Pancake Day

I slept very well last night although when I woke up shortly after 4:00AM, my right arm was aching again. I took an Aleve after I got myself ready for the day.

On my way home from Chanute last evening, Karan called me to ask if I would like to go to the Lion's Club pancake day at the First Baptist Church this morning. I decided to do that. It starts at 7:00AM and we will go at the time.

I am still tired from the week. It was an extremely busy week. I was going to strip my bed today and do some laundry but I am just too tired. I will do that later. Missy peed on the little bathmat again last night. I will wash that again and my towels today. I may just read my book the rest of the day. I have two books to read.

One is from the Book Club at the library. It is called "Nomadland". It is about the thousands of people who lost everything in the crash of 2008..even their homes which had lost much of their value... and were foreclosed on. These folks are mostly seniors and can no longer afford rent and utilities and used what little resources they had to buy a cheap used travel trailer or van and move into it and travel from one minimum wage job to another all over the nation as transients. Their basic cost of living is gasoline and food and an occasional vehicle repair. Many of these transient low income jobs have free parking and are run by the National Parks Department. Some of the private ones are at Amazon. Those at Amazon are grueling tedious work and nearly kill a person....especially seniors.  But as a last resort, if they have to, they go to one Amazon after another and tough it out. It seems the cost of living in a home or apartment has far out-distanced their income from social security. I know what little increases we have had since I have been on social security have been offset by the raises in my supplemental insurance and often have left me with even less to live on. And I know the property taxes drove me out of my home three years after Bob died.

I have plenty of reading. At the end of the month we meet at the library and discuss these books.

Tomorrow morning, I will bake and ice my coffee cake for the Church School class at church. I don't know where we will have lunch afterward. I will have to consult with Bob A. and Phyllis F.

The carpet cleaner man, Darrell, will be coming on Monday at 11:00AM to clean my carpet and I get my hair done on Tuesday at 9:00AM and then Juanita has another 10:00AM doctor's appointment on Wednesday next week. That's about all I have planned for next week. I don't recall whether there will be any games on Wednesday afternoon. I don't think so since Asbury Village stopped doing Bingo on the second Wednesday of the month. Another couple is doing that on Tuesday afternoon at the senior center but I don't want to get another day committed so I won't go.

Then that next Saturday, on the 13th, is the senior center rummage sale and I want to use some time next week to figure out what all to put in it. I went through much of my stuff a month ago, but I haven't done any more about it ....so Thursday and Friday next week, I will go through some more.

Missy is patiently waiting for her breakfast so I will get back to this later...

Cyndi contacted me a little while ago that she would have a hard time finding time today to vacuum for me since Four Country Mental Health had called her with a transportation job (she does that part time as they need her) and so I told her I would just manage by myself this time and let her know by text if that turns out to be a mistake and I need her again. I will basically try to do it with my left arm and see how that works this time. I had taken that Aleve and the right arm isn't near as sore so I imagine that will work out just fine.

I fed Missy and a little after 7:00AM, Ronnie and Karan came to pick me up. After we ate breakfast and visited awhile, they brought me home and I vacuumed the apartment and ran a load of laundry. I used my left arm, as planned, to vacuum. It worked out.  I had washed the bathroom and kitchen floors yesterday so dusting is all I have left to do.  I got the laundry out of the dryer and folded and put it away. I need to dust but I don't know whether that will work out or not....I will see. It's nearly noon now. I need to figure out which frozen meal I will eat this time.

More later...

Before I ate any lunch, I drove up to Independence to buy some powder base makeup. I am almost entirely out and we no longer have a Merle Norman store except in Independence and Chanute.

When I got back I cooked one of my Schwan's frozen meals. I am not impressed with them. There is too much food for a single and I can never eat it all. I throw my leftovers out. It's a waste. The Good Value Walmart brand singles are just right and only cost $1.88 each. And they are pretty good!

I did some weeding and took Missy out for awhile while I did that. She really enjoyed that. It rained this morning so I did not have to water.

Now I will get back to my book. More later...

I read all afternoon and finally had a breakfast bar for supper and a bowl of ice cream and then took  my bath a little early and Missy and I watched some Amazon Prime TV until 8:40, when we went on to bed.



Friday, October 5, 2018

Friday and a Trip to Chanute

I slept well last night. It was probably because I was so tired. I did get up around 4:00AM though. I want to clean my bathroom and kitchen floors this morning. Tomorrow sometime, Cyndi will vacuum for me. My arm seems to be getting better and if it continues, I may begin doing my own vacuuming again....if it doesn't hurt my arm again.

This morning about 10:00AM, I will drive up to Chanute again. I will meet my friend, Gay, there at 11:00AM at the east side of Opie's in Chanute and we will drive over to Humboldt together to eat at the new Opie's Restaurant there. Her Chanute friends will be there too. Missy will be alone for another day. Maybe I can take her outside later this morning if the weather is O.K. I do need to go to the bank later this morning before I leave and make a deposit of the three dues that I collected yesterday at the alliance meeting. I also need to get some money for the coming  week.

It's a little past 5:00AM now and I will go get Missy's breakfast and my own. I never did eat anything before bedtime last night. So I am hungry.

I got my airline reservation from Keith last night and printed it off this morning. Leslie and John are going too and we will all fly out together. We will leave home on November 12th and return on the 15th of November. We fly out of Tulsa to Phoenix by way of Denver. I was hoping for a straight through flight but at least I will be with John and Leslie.

More later...

It's almost 7:00AM now and I have washed both the bathroom and the kitchen floors and they are drying now. Missy wants to go out but it is still dark out there and has been raining and it's wet. She is waiting patiently by the kitchen door. It should be light in another thirty minutes.

Bob is going to come over while I am gone today and check on Missy. She really likes him. As soon as the bank opens at 9:00AM, I will go make a deposit of the dues from the alliance meeting yesterday. While I am over there, I will withdraw some cash for the week next week. I get my hair done and cut on Tuesday.  I don't get my social security until Wednesday. I will take out $50.00. That should hold me until Wednesday

More even later...

I went ahead and stopped at the ATM and got my own cash for the week. I will go back at 9:00AM to make the Ministerial Alliance deposit. Then I will leave for Chanute at 10:00AM.

More later...

I went back to the bank and make the alliance's deposit and then went on to Chanute to meet Gay and go with her to Humboldt. After we ate at Opie's there in Humboldt, we took a tour of their little community. I wore out sooner then the others and Janet and I sat in the shade at a nearby park and waited for them to finish their tour..

On my way home, I twice fell asleep at the wheel for just a second or two and had to fight to stay awake.  Getting up at 4:00 just exhausted me along with that tour of Humboldt.

I got home about 5:00PM and found Missy ready for her treats. I gave them to her and she is now back on my bed napping.

At 7:00PM I took my bath and Missy and I watched some Amazon Prime TV until I simply could not stay awake any longer at 9:00PM.

I am exhausted. I hope I can sleep tonight.


Thursday, October 4, 2018

Thursday and Ministerial Alliance at Noon

I slept very well last night. No pain in my right arm...that always helps. I got up just before 5:00 and dressed and got myself ready for the day. I fed Missy and myself and had my coffee and a cup of Chai Latte.

I have been giving Missy a little soft food each morning with her treats and her regular Iams food. So far, so good. No more vomiting. She seems to want the regular food over the soft food although she eats both.

I just had a text from Bob. He says we have had lots of rain. I hadn't even looked out. I wonder if that will complicate my already complicated day. I have alliance meeting at noon and need to be in Independence at 1:00. Ia asked Judy to take over the minutes at 12:30 so I could leave the meeting then. She agreed to do that.  I hope to get to Independence to pick up Juanita at 1:00 and I hope it won't be raining. She is blind and that would complicate things.

More later...

I went on to the alliance meeting and stayed until 12:30 and then Judy took over the notes from me. I left and quickly drove on to Bartlesville after I picked up Juanita in Independence. It was not raining..thank goodness! It's always a major production getting her in and out of the car to go anywhere since she is blind. We got right in at the Clinic though and they checked out her pacemaker. They gave us the appointments for next time and I gave them to Juanita to put in her purse. I will pick her up next Wednesday to take her to the Dr. Dystria office at the Independence Physician's building. At least that is in Independence although there's still the production of getting her in and out of the car. She mostly sits and listens to TV and so when she does move to go anywhere she is very weak and is easily exhausted.

She has decided to go to the Chicago area where her son and daughter-in-law live and stay at least a month while she decides whether she wants to stay for good. She really should. She is blind and all alone in Independence except for her step daughter and her husband and they are in about the same shape she is in health wise. They do have their sight though.

We got there in plenty of time and she got right in and out very well.  Afterward, she wanted me to stop at a Sonic in Dewey so she could buy us banana milkshakes. Then she gave me $10.00 for the trip. I hated to take it but she insists. When we got back to Independence, she gave me $100 to go in Walmart there and pick up her meds. They were slightly over $95.00. Then she wanted me to open her mail and read what it was to her. I put away her jacket and her cane when we got into the house..

I got home about 5:30PM this afternoon and spent the evening typing up the minutes.  Judy had been good enough to put the minutes on my door so when I got home I would have them. I really appreciate that. I spent the next hour typing them up and running them off for the secretary/treasurer notebook.

On the other hand, for the first time in weeks, Missy wet on the bathmat/floor in the bathroom. I don't know what that was all about...just carelessness, I guess. I will mop it with disinfectant in the morning. I washed it with a clean cloth tonight. I will also mop the kitchen in the morning. Cyndi will come Saturday afternoon around 3:00PM to vacuum for me. I am meeting Gay in Chanute tomorrow at 11:00AM and we are going to drive over to Humboldt for lunch at the new Opies Restaurant there.

I have had my bath now and have my PJs on so I guess Missy and I will watch some Amazon Prime TV. This morning I watched last night's CBS news with Jeff Glor on that program.

We will probably go on to bed at 9:00PM or so. I am exhausted.


Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Wednesday and Bunco at the Senior Center

I slept fairly well last night. I got up about 4:45AM., dressed and fed myself and Missy. I gave a her a little of that soft food and a little of her regular Iams crunchy food . That seemed to work.  At least it is staying down so far.

In a little while I will take Missy outside. Right now she is in the living room doorway waiting for daylight..  I am watching the Tulsa news. It is off and on (thanks to the antenna in my attic) but I can get the gist of it.

I intend to go to the senior center this afternoon for Bunco. This morning I will just  putter and at noon will eat one of my Schwans meals. After that  at 1:00PM I will leave for the senior center.

I asked Alexa to turn on the lamp this morning and it turned on but immediately went off. I reset the Echo a couple of times and then realized the bulb was probably out and changed it out. That's what it was alright. Immediately the lamp came on with the new bulb.

More later...Missy is patiently waiting for the chance to go outside.

I took Missy outside for awhile but it was too windy for her and she wanted back in so I opened the door for her and she rushed back inside.

I spent the rest of the morning reading my new book club book. It is "Nomadland"...very interesting! It's about the thousands of people who live in trailers and RVs and travel America  taking numerous low income minimum wage jobs to exist. They can't  afford rent and utilities and work these minimum wage jobs because they have often lost everything duringr the 2008 "recession".  They buy a cheap travel trailer and go from minimum wage  job to minimum wage  job. That's how they live. Their social security has not kept up with the cost of living costs. This way their primary expenses are food, vehicle repairs and gasoline.  I am a quarter of the way through the book. Many of these folks have worked for Amazon and picking fruit but have had to give that up because of the pain of repetitive motion injuries from the nature of the work.

I can relate after losing so much that way myself.

At 1:00PM I went to Bunco at the senior center.  I got home about 2:30PM from that.

I heard from Keith yesterday during game day lunch and he has planned to buy my flight ticket for my trip to Phoenix in November. I don't exactly know how that will work out. (how I will get to the airport and home afterward) since John and Leslie are planning to go too.  They plan to use Delta, (if Keith is correct) and I will be using United. I am to leave on the 12th  and come home on the 15th. I guess they will work that out somehow.  I dread flying. It isn't the flights I dread. It is making the connections. I have had some pretty harrowing experiences in the past including the loss of my luggage and it's return at 11:30PM at night. I hope this flight will be straight through.

At 7:00PM, I took my bath and Missy and I watched Amazon Prime until 9:00PM  when we went to bed. Before I went to bed I took an Aleve for the pain in my right arm..

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Tuesday and a Hair Appointment

I slept pretty well last night and got up at 4:45.  I got myself ready for the day and fed Missy and myself. Then she went in on my bed to take her nap. I watched TV this morning. It was fairly stable this time.  I never know from day to day whether that antenna will work for me. No big deal.

I will watch last night's CBS news on Amazon Prime later today. The antenna wasn't working last evening.

At 9:00, I will go to my hair appointment and then afterward I will take the cakes to Independence to the First Christian Church for dessert for their dinner this evening. Then I will come home.I need to do some cleaning today.  I will at least dust.

More later...

I got my hair done and took the cakes on up to Independence. I went out to the Independence Walmart while I was up there delivering the cakes. I bought my Chai Latte and some other things.Then I came home. I ate my Walmart brand Sweet and Sour Chicken for lunch.

Then I turned on NPR to hear "Fresh Air" one of my favorite programs, about the latest book by Michael Lewis.  I ordered it from Amazon. The name of it is "The Fifth Risk"..and it's about the Trump Administration.  The interview with Michael Lewis was fascinating.  He has written several best sellers. One was "Money Ball" and another "The Big Short". "The Fifth Risk" will be here on Wednesday.

More later...

I didn't have anything here for a light supper so I had a bowl of ice cream for my supper. I turned on the news and also later took my bath about  7:00PM and Missy and I watched some Amazon Prime TV. We watched 48 hours. At 9:00, we went to bed.



Monday, October 1, 2018

Monday and A Better Day

Missy didn't get sick again last night but I still put in a call to the vet this morning. Dr. Cooper will call me back when he gets out of surgery. I want to find out if it would be better to give her soft cat food under the circumstances. That will tell me whether to put off having my carpet cleaned on Wednesday.

I slept pretty well and got up about 4:45. I had fallen asleep couple of times while I watched TV last night so I probably got my sleep out. The arm is better this morning too. . it's still sore but bearable.

I ordered coffee from Keurig this morning for both Bob and myself. It will be 5 to 7 days before it arrives anyhow. I don't desperately need it but I want the variety. I ordered the 40 pack for Bob because with our credits (points) we get it cheaper from Keurig. He won't need it for awhile but we will have it when he does.

I am going to go pay my rent now. So more later...

I got my rent paid and went to the bank. Then I came home and baked my cake for the First Christian Church in Independence. Phyllis brought me hers earlier. She is so faithful! I did some weeding in my flowerbeds and took Missy outside too.. I reminded Karan about the cakes and she had forgotten and thanked me for reminding her.

I got hold of Dr. Cooper at Dr. Barta's clinic. He suggested I let her try the soft food because he figures at 151/2 years old, she doesn't have enough teeth left to chew the hard stuff up anymore. He never recommends the soft stuff because he says, like Dr. Barta, that it is not good for their teeth.

More later....

I gave Missy some of the patte soft cat food and she really seemed to like it and gobbled it right down. Now we'll see if it stays down.

I took my faucet off and found it full of calcium and some of that black stuff that the plumber found in the line last spring. I soaked the entire apparatus in vinegar and it eventually cleaned up but when I tried to put it all back together everything would go together except the rubber gasket. So I tried it (gingerly) and it worked fine without it. We will see.

I saw this story in the Chronicle:

CCC POSTS BIGGEST ENROLLMENT INCREASE OF ANY
PUBLIC TWO-YEAR OR FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTION IN KANSAS

Big news came to Coffeyville Community College today in the form of an enrollment report prepared by the Kansas Board of Regents.

The Regents' annual fall semester enrollment report of all public technical schools, community colleges and four-year institutions showed CCC posting the largest enrollment increase of any of the Regents' institutions — 10.41 percent.

Meanwhile, Independence Community College posted an enrollment decrease of 3.63 percent, according to the report.

Thirteen of the 19 community colleges in Kansas posted lower enrollment for the fall 2018 semester — bringing total community college enrollment down by 2.60 percent.

Systemwide, the Regents' institutions experienced a 0.63 percent decrease in full-time equivalent student enrollment for the fall 2018 semester compared to the fall 2017 semester.

More details about college enrollments will be printed in a story in the Oct. 4 issue of the Montgomery County Chronicle.

My carpet cleaner called this afternoon to ask me to change my appointment with him until next Monday. His brother and his family, whom he hasn't seen in 15 years is coming for a visit and he wants to have a good visit with him and his family. I was glad to oblige him.

It is nearly 4:35 now and I want to eat something before I catch the news, So..more later...

I had eaten my leftover chicken fried steak for dinner so for supper, I just had a bowl of ice cream.

Then I took my bath and watched 48 hours episodes with Missy on my Amazon Prime. At 9:00, we went on to bed.

 

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Sunday Morning 3:00AM and a Sick Cat

I took my bath later last night after I got home from the retreat. and Missy and I watched some TV until 9:30 when we went on to bed. When she came in to bed, I heard her stomach rumbling and was very apprehensive. I got up at 2:30 to go to the bathroom and take my meds and found I had no water in the bathroom sink at all. There was water in the bathtub and also the stool but nothing but a tiny trickle at the sink faucet.

Then Missy got down from the bed and went to the litter box. She tried and tried to urinate but couldn't. Then she defecated and I cleaned that up and flushed it. As I was leaving the bathroom, she was just in front of me and she vomited quite a lot in the bathroom doorway on the carpet. I grabbed a couple of wash cloths and cleaned that up and used my "Resolve" to clean the carpet afterward. I found two more small places..one down the hall and one in the living room. I cleaned those up too. Then I did not go back to bed. There was no use. I am doing what little laundry I had in the basket this morning. ...including all of my wash cloths.

Missy acts sick now but her nose is cold. Poor baby. I guess Monday I will have to take her back to the vet. I don't know what else he can do. I have given her all her injections of antibiotics and she has been fine. But this evening/morning she is vomiting again.

More later...

Kelly was just kidding me. He did pick up my jacket before he left the campgrounds. He and Leslie were just giving me a hard time. I was so tired, I didn't catch on.

I spent the afternoon on the congregational newsletter and sending out those and a birthday card.

Now it is 4:10PM.  I had put her food up on the cabinet when I went on to church.  I left her the water. She did not vomit while I was gone. After church, Phyllis F and I went over to "Just Us" to eat. Bob went to dinner with Joanne and Nancy, Joanne's daughter. We all took our own cars to church.

In a couple of hours I will eat the last of my yogurt. Then at 7:00PM, I will take my bath and put my PJs on and watch TV or Amazon Prime until 9:00PM or so. Then we will go to bed. Tomorrow I will call Dr. Barta and ask him about feeding Missy some soft food that she may be able to chew better. Then maybe she won't "lose it". I may have to cancel my carpet cleaning if Missy can't keep her food down. No sense having the carpet cleaned just to have it soiled by her.

More later...

I went to bed a little after 9:00PM and Missy soon joined me.