Almost February

I can't believe January is almost over & I don't remember a lot of it. It was fast & yet slow - maybe it was all the 'Hurry up & Waitness' of it all that messed me up in January. Marlow's cat even disappeared for a while & then was just there waiting one morning. He used to get up every morning around 5:30 & let her in for breakfast & a cuddle in the big chair before he went for coffee with his cronies. Now she shows up on the front porch & waits until I flush the toilet in the morning - she knows I'm up & lets out a howl for breakfast. She eats her fill outside - she won't let me come near her - then the black feral cat eats what's left. Gotta have a cat around here or the mice will take over. I will try to tame her before I have to move so that she isn't left to starve .  .  .  .

It's been a tough month in some ways & easy as well. There are a lot of things that I can't do, some I can do with a lot of effort that I'm probably not supposed to do & things that I can do which are easy to let someone else do. Eventually, I will have to move. But maybe, when the will is probated & the dust all clears, just maybe, I can stay here for a while. I need an accessible bathroom & bedroom. I think handrails on the stairs down to the bedroom might make it more accessible for me. I like sleeping in a cool room & upstairs is too damn hot!  I'd put a sliding door in the back wall of the bedroom for egress & access to the garage, the patio & my freezer. The bedroom's big enough to set up my sewing machine, serger, TV & my stash. And it still has all the book shelves & extra plug-ins. 
The accessible bathroom will take a bit more figuring. I think the best way to deal with it is to rip it all out & start over!
I can shop & cook for myself, I can use the new Dyson cordless, I can wash dishes - I hate dishes - I figured out the jury rigged washer although I'm not sure about the dryer, I get the garbage into the cans & carry in my own groceries if I do it one bag at a time.

It would be so much simpler to rent an accessible apartment with all the amenities. But where do I find one in this tight market?? It might make more sense to fix what I have & give myself the time to find what I need for the long haul than move into something that won't work any better than what I have  .   .   .   .

Knitting Content - not a bloody stitch. I've been sleepy, foggy, clumsy & my hands have been giving me hell. Arthritis responds nicely to emotional upsets. Now that I have my blood pressure back down where it should be, I've been looking at new wrap patterns & simple garter projects - no Stephen West projects for me for a while!!

It Snowed Again

Goth Kitty Socks

When I knit my fuchsia sweater about 11 years ago, I was snowed in in my old basement apartment because the alley I fronted on was two feet deep of snow. Only the main street - where the bus ran - ever got plowed. This time around, my whole yard is over two feet deep, so is the street & every other street in this part of town. We never get plowed unless a neighbor plows his way in & out. Where are all the trucks with blades???? My neighbor tried shoveling a path from the ramp to my car every day but I told him to stop. Ain't no way  someone who's a bit wobbly can haul herself & an O2 bottle in a cart around in snow drifts. And even if I did something that stupid, what could I say when I broke something falling on ice??? So I stayed home & made soup. I am so happy the government puts my checks in the bank for me. I can pay my bills & shop from home in my jammies in a snow storm. I am sick of my own company though & am hoping for a big rain storm to wash it off the roads so I can get out for a coffee .  .  .  .  . Oh yeah, I have ONE can of cat food left & half a small bag of crunchies.  The weatherman is promising SUN to melt it away but I never trust any man who shows that many teeth when he smiles!

Knitting - funny thing about that, I've not picked up anything to work on with all this snow. I am showing a shot of the socks I'm wearing today instead!!!
I got my nose into a jigsaw puzzle. It's a picture of a spice market with a ton of bowls & baskets of spices - with only a little picture in the corner of the box. And it has 1200 pieces.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Brrrrr - wrapped in my fuchsia wool sweater this AM after spending the night as a fleecy burrito. I did not want to get up!! It's not normally this cold in January & the February snow is early. The last couple of weeks have gone by so fast that I'm not even sure what happened!! I tried dealing with all the paperwork a death produces but gave it all over to my Legal Assistant when my blood pressure went up to 151/79. Although I felt that I could DO it because I needed to be busy, I was wrong. I didn't want to end up in the hospital, gave in & ended up sleeping for a couple of days .  .  .  .  My blood pressure went down 20 points. A couple of friends have been taking me out for coffee. I've made some plans, met an friend's new fiance - lovely gal - & even done some bookkeeping work! My blood pressure went down another 10 points!! The Techie boys said they'd move me & anything I wanted to toss any time. Little Ron is setting up a Bargain Bin to sell what he can. And I have to get out & find a handicap apartment.

I can't stay in the house on my own. There's too many things to fix & too many jobs I'm not able to do. I need an accessible shower & bedroom. Marlow tiled all the floors to make cleaning easier when he had dogs but the slight uneveness makes me trip. I probably could stay for a while since I got the toilet flushing & the washer washing but what do I do about the leak in the back of the kitchen roof. And some of my stuff is in the garage next to my freezer, down 4 stairs where I can't take my oxygen. My best choice is an apartment with no stairs, laundry in the suite, a walk-in shower with bars & parking close by. It will be nice to set up my sewing machine & serger once more & spend my time knitting & spinning.

I've tried NOT to be a feeble gimp & do everything I can for myself but realized on Saturday just how feeble I really am when I tried to get into a Tim Horton's in that wind storm we had. I got myself & George, my O2 tank on wheels out of the car & had ONE step up to the sidewalk. As I stepped up, the wind caught me & I teetered & almost fell. Luckily a man grabbed my elbow & hauled me onto the sidewalk while his son held the door. It was a close call!! 

So, once I get all the legal stuff out of the way, I'll be looking for an accessible apartment. I want an electric bed - the kind where you can raise the head & the knees like a hospital bed!! And a big comfy chair that helps me get up. And a small island or nook so I can sit while I chop & mix. I love my Kobo for reading but I think I'm also going to get a tablet for all my knitting patterns & pdf booklets.


Knitting content - nada. Although - I froze in all that cold wind on Saturday so I've cast on some grey handspun to make a hat. Hoodies are okay but hats are better!!

New Year's Day

On New Year's day, my Roomie died. Some time after midnight he slipped away in his sleep. When you get down to the nitty-gritty of it, that's a pretty fine way to go - in your sleep & in your own bed! He was 81 & worried about losing his driver's license this year when it was supposed to renew. He was often sad that he & Bill were the only two still alive out of his group of friends that met at Mcdonald's at 6:30 AM & totally pissed about the new mayor!

He was also happy - most of the time - that I moved back into this crappy little house although I didn't want to do it! Just a few days ago he told me I was a royal pain in the ass but I sure wasn't cheap. He even agreed that life was a little more exciting with me around.

The Hovel is so quiet without him in it. He used to vacuum, take out the garbage, hang the wash, clean the bathtub & carry in the groceries. There used to be chatter, toilet flushing, dish washing, fridge opening & closing. There was no one to say goodnight to last night. And I miss him already.

Today, a friend called me up & told me to get in gear & meet him for coffee. We spent an hour & a half laughing about how life smacks us around & changes the plans we make. I whined a little & he let me. Little Ron is so supportive when he's not talking religion or politics  .  .  .  .  he got me out & I bless him for it. 

Knitting - Not a damn stitch today although I got my spinner out. It sits next to the bin of Romney roving I want to spin for winter mitts. I intend to make another pair of Spirogyra - to my elbows!!!