Okay, first things first. Many thanks to my son Jeff who has now added a music widget to my blog so that I can pick songs for you guys to listen to if you choose, like I did on my other blog last Fall. I will do the same as I did there and will pick a "current" song but will also accumulate them on another player further down the page. Can't guarantee I will pick a new song each time I write, but then again since I have been writing every week to week and a half, maybe I will! More on the first song choice later ........
So let's see .... on the home front. All things considered, there has been less activity in the "falling apart" department than previous weeks, so I am taking that as a good sign that most of the major surprises have been found. Or at least identified in some vague way that gives me a direction to head. Last we spoke, the hot water dispenser handle had come off in my hand. Well, now there is a brand new one in the kitchen and it didn't cost me a dime! You have to love the internet! Here I went online looking for a part that might be broken, and when I can't really figure it out and call them, they help me discover that it's under warranty!
The horrible, nasty, scary, disgusting non-working trash compactor? Gone! In it's place is a new one provided by the home warranty company! I have never had a trash compactor before and must admit that I'm kind of liking it! Quite literally, Brad and I had one bag of trash for an entire week once it all got smushed down! True to form for the house, when the technician pulled out the old one, inexplicably the wires had been spliced and it looked like a third grader had done it! It was horrible!
AND today, the new cook top got delivered! We opted to go with another electric one, even though I really wanted gas. With the can of worms that this house is, the thought of trying to run a gas line right now was more than I wanted to contemplate. I spent just a little bit out of pocked to go with a solid surface one rather than the coil one they were offering me. So even if we remodel and change to gas down the road, it has only cost me $268 for a brand new 45 inch Jenn Air cook top! I think it will be money well spent!
On the air conditioner front, well, that has been resolved at least for now. After two visits by a nice young man from Budget Heating & Air (who I will always request now when I have HVAC issues for home warranty work!), two new capacitors and a new fan motor, the house is cool once again. According to him, the capacitors were the wrong size and the whole unit wasn't even grounded! AND the fan was rotating the wrong way so it was just blowing warm air and over heating the compressor! $500 worth of parts and all I had to do was write a $60 check!
I am beginning to feel like I should just wear my checkbook on a chain around my neck so it's always handy and have a bunch of pre-printed checks for $60 made up!!
I got the energy audit results back and it was much like I expected. Lots of recommendations of things like adding insulation, perhaps changing out some windows, getting new A/C units and one new heater, but also some things that I didn't know that could perhaps save me money in the short term while I address the other issues that I can't address right now. It is amazing to me the report I got, the time they spent at my house and the details of their evaluation! Quite literally it was a 20 page report, complete with some graphs to show the savings I would have if I made some upgrades and some photos of things in my house that need to be addressed! In a nutshell - I have huge air infiltration issues. By doing something called a blower door test, they determined that 64% of the air in my house is being exchanged with outside air every hour!! That equates to a 25" square opening in a wall, year round!! The national target rate of air exchange is 35%. If it's a measure of how my house is breathing, I think mine is pretty much hyperventilating!!! Do they make house sized paper bags that we can breath into?! The great part was that they addressed the major areas where they thought the leaks were and many of them I can address quickly and on my own. Others .... well, we'll get there.......
What was really nice was how helpful they were during the time they were here and how they seem to be willing to spend some more time with me helping me understand it all. They have created a computer model of my house and if I have work done and send them details, they can map it out as to savings over time. What's really interesting is that the main guy is actually starting a new job with Weststar Energy today in the Energy Efficiency department and he said he is going to keep an eye on my consumption and nominate us to be one of the first in Wichita to have a Smart Meter put in when they get here. So all in all a good experience.
So with things somewhat in hand, I decided it was time for a day off! Last Friday my friend Kathy and I went out to the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine, KS. It's owned and run by a friend of hers who she used to teach with when they were both teachers at a local school. That woman would be none other than Robin Macy, the woman I went to see in concert a few weeks back at Wichita State University. She was one of the original Dixie Chicks and sort of decided to leave the band at one point before they "went all Hollywood" - or at least that is my understanding. The Arboretum is 18 acres of land and was in total disrepair when Robin bought it 14 years ago. She completely rebuilt the tiny house on the property and has added a few more buildings, but it is all done with such charm and uniqueness that it just draws you in! The trees are amazing (hence "arboretum") and the flower beds and vegetation look great -especially considering we are in the midst of a drought. She has added a stage and has weddings and other events and concerts there and there are plans for a tallgrass prairie soon as well. It just has a good feel to it when you are there. It was really fun to meet Robin and she was gracious enough to invite us into her home and show us pictures and just spend time talking. She just struck me as a really down to earth woman who is doing the work she wants to be doing and does it with conviction. Quite inspirational. Here is a link to her website: http://www.bartlettarboretum.com/
So the song of the day - the first song I am posting on this blog - is one of hers. It's called "Simplify". I really liked it when I heard it at the concert and it just really resonated in me. The message of it is so true - that we all just need to simplify our lives. I get so busy sweating every little detail and get some absorbed/obsessed with the house and all the turmoil around it, that sometimes I forget to step back, take a breath and really look at the simple things that bring me joy and that are easy to overlook in the every day. Things like the people in our lives, the experiences we get to have or just a sunny day.
So thanks for taking me Kathy! And thanks for spending time with me Robin! Doubly blessed on one day!
No crazy discoveries to report this time - no more bowling balls or dog bed insulation! And that is just fine by me. I did find a new use for an unlikely tool though! Everyone has a car jack laying around, right? Well, yours truly has actually never had to use one to change a tire, but today I used it to jack up one corner of our bed at a time so that I could add new legs I made for it!!! (That sucker is heavy and I didn't want to wait for Brad to get home and make him help me!) The movers were not too careful and the bun feet that had been it's legs before were unable to be attached back to it. So I created some new legs and after two and a half months in the house, FINALLY our bed is up off the floor! Now I just hope it doesn't come crashing down tonight!
More to share but you are probably all asleep by now! Sorry this got long!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
How do I score this frame?!
So I know I told you about the Foamy Elmo Soap and the dog bed they used as insulation in the attic at one spot, but I think I can top that now! Anyone feel like bowling?!
There are bushes outside of the kitchen window, between the house and the patio leading up to the pool. They are green, but other than that, they don't really do much for me. Mostly they just grow and are starting to get high enough that I can't see the pool when I am sitting at the counter. So the choice then boils down to trimming them down so I can have smaller, still nondescript bushes, or taking them out. So of course in my "go big or go home" motto, I decide it's time for them to go. There are a million things I can see there next year - an herb garden, a flower garden, maybe even nice, tidy cuter bushes that stay small. But step one is to get them out and I will figure out what to plant next spring.
So armed with an electric hedge trimmer, some pruning shears, a small chain saw, a shovel, a rake and a pair of gloves, I get to work. Decided that if I take them out low and more intact that they will be easier to cart off than if I have a million small pieces. (Had my first trip to the local landfill yesterday!!!) So I am working, working, working....... stop to drink a Gatorade .... work some more, and suddenly, there is an unidentified strange blue object just barely visible next to the base of a bush. In this house I have learned to expect the unexpected but this one is strange. Heck for all I know it's an unexploded bomb! (maybe that wouldn't be so bad and we'll just start over!). So after clearing away around it, I grab the shovel and gently get underneath it. No ticking sound ...... no explosions ...... I get it out only to discover it's a bowling ball! Are you kidding me?! Just how on earth does a bowling ball get into the middle of a huge area of bushes. Oh yeah - they had a whole flock of boys who lived here, that's how! I sent a text to a friend with the comment that I wished these walls could talk, but she answered back that it probably wouldn't be rated G! I told her that my guess is right about now it's actually breathing a sigh of relief!
So yes, we will add a bowling ball to the list of continuing oddities about the house! It's blue, kind of lightweight and judging from the finger holes, belonged to someone small. There's even an "extra" hole so either the owner had an odd hand, something went horribly wrong or one of the boys grabbed it out of a dumpster. Any of those three are possible! I cleaned it up and I will be keeping the ball. No, not to bowl with but as a conversation piece! I think it should fit nicely on one of those gazing ball stands!
So let's see, ..... what else. I got back from Mom's in time to get a call that they wanted to come over and reconnect my broken duct in the attic! Hooray! So it's hooked back up now and they added a relay switch to the fan that was running 24/7 so that it SHOULD now only run when the heater is on. I am officially done with trying to cool down Wichita singlehandedly! It's not like I was doing a very good job of it anyway. The new compressor got put in the freezer side of the fridge. Hooray! My roofers finally came over and took out the old non-working attic fans and put in two new ones the electrician had left. He comes Monday to hook them up. Hooray! The trash compactor got delivered and I am just waiting for the technician to come take out the old nasty one that scares me in a really horrible way and put the new one in. Hooray!
It was actually nice for several days, so I was able to get out in the yard and do some yard work! It's definitely good for the soul to get dirt under your fingernails! Pulled tons of weeds, cleaned up some flower beds. Hopefully this weekend I can get some mulch added to some of them and the place can at least look a little better! I am not going to plant anything, just perk it up.
So everything is looking up, right?! Well, not so fast! This morning as I am getting some hot water from the instant hot water dispenser, the handle comes off in my hand and I can't shut off the scalding hot water! Luckily there was an easily accessible shut off valve under the sink. After a little detective work on my part and a phone call to the company, turns out the unit is new (Feb. 2011) and still under warranty. They gave me a number to call and no more than an hour later a service man was at the door. Looks like I will add "hot water dispenser" to my list of new stuff!
Still feeling good, I go outside to check the progress of the installation of my new garage doors. I must admit, they are beautiful and it is money well spent on this! Went with a steel door that looks like wood, so you get the look and no maintenance! Love, love, love how it turned out! But wait, what is that awful sound around the side of the house?! Yup ..... it's the air conditioner. It sounds hideous and is so loud that if I were to try to carry on a conversation I am not sure I could! I go inside, it's a bit warmer than I expected in the house but not awful so watch it for a few hours. Sure enough..... it's not cooling well. At 6 p.m. it was 105 degrees outside and 84 inside the house. "Hello?..... Home warranty?......... I need someone to come look at my air conditioner!!! Again!" Hopefully I won't have to wait TOO long.
So I spent today finishing cleaning up the aforementioned bowling ball flower bed. Hey, if it's warm in the house I might as well be warm outside and get something done! All deep roots and minor stumps are gone, years of decaying leaves are bagged and all that awaits is whatever I chose to do to it next spring. It will give me something to plan this winter when I am in the house - probably freezing and dressed in layers because the heater won't work!
And on that note, I will close for tonight. The other major event for the week was an energy audit that I had done on Tuesday. Three super nice young men spent a couple of hours at my house going over the whole place and checking out all kinds of things like insulation, energy usage, outside construction, etc. While I don't have the full report yet, it should be very enlightening. Probably in a very scary sort of way, but enlightening. I will save that for another day to try to explain to you. First I will have to figure it out myself!
So happy weekend everyone! Here's to cooler temperatures, no surprises and time spent with those you love!
There are bushes outside of the kitchen window, between the house and the patio leading up to the pool. They are green, but other than that, they don't really do much for me. Mostly they just grow and are starting to get high enough that I can't see the pool when I am sitting at the counter. So the choice then boils down to trimming them down so I can have smaller, still nondescript bushes, or taking them out. So of course in my "go big or go home" motto, I decide it's time for them to go. There are a million things I can see there next year - an herb garden, a flower garden, maybe even nice, tidy cuter bushes that stay small. But step one is to get them out and I will figure out what to plant next spring.
So armed with an electric hedge trimmer, some pruning shears, a small chain saw, a shovel, a rake and a pair of gloves, I get to work. Decided that if I take them out low and more intact that they will be easier to cart off than if I have a million small pieces. (Had my first trip to the local landfill yesterday!!!) So I am working, working, working....... stop to drink a Gatorade .... work some more, and suddenly, there is an unidentified strange blue object just barely visible next to the base of a bush. In this house I have learned to expect the unexpected but this one is strange. Heck for all I know it's an unexploded bomb! (maybe that wouldn't be so bad and we'll just start over!). So after clearing away around it, I grab the shovel and gently get underneath it. No ticking sound ...... no explosions ...... I get it out only to discover it's a bowling ball! Are you kidding me?! Just how on earth does a bowling ball get into the middle of a huge area of bushes. Oh yeah - they had a whole flock of boys who lived here, that's how! I sent a text to a friend with the comment that I wished these walls could talk, but she answered back that it probably wouldn't be rated G! I told her that my guess is right about now it's actually breathing a sigh of relief!
So yes, we will add a bowling ball to the list of continuing oddities about the house! It's blue, kind of lightweight and judging from the finger holes, belonged to someone small. There's even an "extra" hole so either the owner had an odd hand, something went horribly wrong or one of the boys grabbed it out of a dumpster. Any of those three are possible! I cleaned it up and I will be keeping the ball. No, not to bowl with but as a conversation piece! I think it should fit nicely on one of those gazing ball stands!
So let's see, ..... what else. I got back from Mom's in time to get a call that they wanted to come over and reconnect my broken duct in the attic! Hooray! So it's hooked back up now and they added a relay switch to the fan that was running 24/7 so that it SHOULD now only run when the heater is on. I am officially done with trying to cool down Wichita singlehandedly! It's not like I was doing a very good job of it anyway. The new compressor got put in the freezer side of the fridge. Hooray! My roofers finally came over and took out the old non-working attic fans and put in two new ones the electrician had left. He comes Monday to hook them up. Hooray! The trash compactor got delivered and I am just waiting for the technician to come take out the old nasty one that scares me in a really horrible way and put the new one in. Hooray!
It was actually nice for several days, so I was able to get out in the yard and do some yard work! It's definitely good for the soul to get dirt under your fingernails! Pulled tons of weeds, cleaned up some flower beds. Hopefully this weekend I can get some mulch added to some of them and the place can at least look a little better! I am not going to plant anything, just perk it up.
So everything is looking up, right?! Well, not so fast! This morning as I am getting some hot water from the instant hot water dispenser, the handle comes off in my hand and I can't shut off the scalding hot water! Luckily there was an easily accessible shut off valve under the sink. After a little detective work on my part and a phone call to the company, turns out the unit is new (Feb. 2011) and still under warranty. They gave me a number to call and no more than an hour later a service man was at the door. Looks like I will add "hot water dispenser" to my list of new stuff!
Still feeling good, I go outside to check the progress of the installation of my new garage doors. I must admit, they are beautiful and it is money well spent on this! Went with a steel door that looks like wood, so you get the look and no maintenance! Love, love, love how it turned out! But wait, what is that awful sound around the side of the house?! Yup ..... it's the air conditioner. It sounds hideous and is so loud that if I were to try to carry on a conversation I am not sure I could! I go inside, it's a bit warmer than I expected in the house but not awful so watch it for a few hours. Sure enough..... it's not cooling well. At 6 p.m. it was 105 degrees outside and 84 inside the house. "Hello?..... Home warranty?......... I need someone to come look at my air conditioner!!! Again!" Hopefully I won't have to wait TOO long.
So I spent today finishing cleaning up the aforementioned bowling ball flower bed. Hey, if it's warm in the house I might as well be warm outside and get something done! All deep roots and minor stumps are gone, years of decaying leaves are bagged and all that awaits is whatever I chose to do to it next spring. It will give me something to plan this winter when I am in the house - probably freezing and dressed in layers because the heater won't work!
And on that note, I will close for tonight. The other major event for the week was an energy audit that I had done on Tuesday. Three super nice young men spent a couple of hours at my house going over the whole place and checking out all kinds of things like insulation, energy usage, outside construction, etc. While I don't have the full report yet, it should be very enlightening. Probably in a very scary sort of way, but enlightening. I will save that for another day to try to explain to you. First I will have to figure it out myself!
So happy weekend everyone! Here's to cooler temperatures, no surprises and time spent with those you love!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Flowers, Lipstick and A Fan Motor
It's been another intersting week and again I wish I had written more often, but I rarely stop in the middle of the day - so by the time the day draws to an end, I am beat. Had a great visit with Matt and we actually had a fun day on Friday - no maintenance work, no alarms shrieking and nothing broken that I can recall!! Hooray! We hit a few antique malls and I took him to Freddy's for his first steakburger and a frozen custard. Had the in-laws over for dinner (mother, father, sister, nephew, etc.) and Matt and I had smoked some tasty ribs and brisket. This is the kind of stuff I came back to get to be able to do! Last Friday was a good day!
Matt left on Sunday and I headed to my mom's house in Pittsburg, KS after I dropped him at the airport. There was a part of me that was glad to get away and another part of me that feared I was leaving Brad with some sort of disaster waiting to happen while I was gone. So far so good from what I can tell and any disasters that happened were small or my amazing husband has fixed them on his own! Then again, I feel like these days I create most of the disasters, so maybe by having me gone and not starting projects, there is less to go wrong!
It's been a nice time with my mom in one way, but also sobering in another. I am writing this while she is fast asleep in the room next to me and secretly hoping that she won't log on and read this until I am gone tomorrow morning. I want to be genuine and honest on this blog, but I also know that she reads it........
My mother is getting old........ that is the hard reality of the last few weeks. I love the fact that she can be 88 and not consider herself "an old lady" - and now I know where I get it since I sure as hell don't feel like some damn 50 year old woman! Last time I looked I was about 30! But reality is sinking in and I feel like this most recent fall has forced our hand. Sight is diminishing, balance is shakier and things that used to be simple are no longer so. It's a tough pill to swallow - just as hard as any medication that can be prescribed because while you have no option but to "take it", there is no benefit reaped other than reality sinking in.
We are not ready for any big changes yet and I think this most recent fall was just a setback and not a detour, but one now gets the sense that "what I want to happen" and "what will happen" may not be the same. So these last few days with Mom I have decided that it's time for a few of those tough conversations that we all dread and no one really wants to have, but someone has to have. We have talked, we have cried and we have both realized that nothing is forever. At least I think so - I can't speak for her. It's really hard to hear her talk with excitement about her idea of buying a duplex and having either my sister or my neice live in the other side so they can watch out for her, while trying to convey to her that at age 88 and failing sight, that might be a tough move and put an incredible burden on whoever is living on the other side. The splash of reality that hit her in the face in that moment reduced me to tears. These are not moments that children ever assume they will see in their parents, and no matter what you tell yourself, you are never prepared to see it. The only way I know how to describe it is that your heart stops for a second and then it just feels like shattering glass........
Things are different now. I used to tip toe around the house while she was resting and now I can practically bang pots and slam doors and she doesn't hear me. We have reached that stage where there are about 100 Tupperware containers and 100 Tupperware lids, but none of them match up. Where you open the fridge and it's full of half eaten food saved for another meal and expired condiments or things that you really don't want to talk about before you send them down the garbage disposal. Opening the fridge or the freezer feels a little like going to Vegas ..... how lucky do you feel?!
But there are wonderful moments too. Every day when I get the mail I cringe at how many catalogs my mother gets and tell her she must be killing a forest all on her own! But I love to see her going through them and love the fact that every now and then she will treat herself to something she sees and wants. There were SO many years in her life where she didn't feel like she could buy anything for herself that it makes me happy when she does now. She always tells me how she wants to leave enough money 'when she's gone' so that each of her kids can have some and I tell her that all I need is money for a Diet Coke. If it comes down to a stained glass gazing ball for the yard or my inheritance, I am sure hoping she goes with the gazing ball!!!
And there are moments like today when I am at her financial advisor's office, filling out forms for a power of attorney so that I can have access to her financial records and I laugh at something the woman says and she grabs me by the arm and says "Oh my gosh, I SO saw your mother right there!". I want to cry and smile at the same time I guess. I take it as a compliment and can only hope I have her spirit as well.
I have looked at a few assisted living places on this visit (sorry Mom) and will tuck what I have learned away for future use if needed. I guess my theory is that it's better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. We have gotten a home care service in place to help her out once a week with cleaning and errands until she can get back to being able to do them on her own. I know more than I ever wanted to know about her finances, defrosted her deep freeze and put in plastic bins to elevate the things she has so that she doesn't have to bend down so far to reach them. I hung her diploma from her college graduation just 3 months ago, her cap and gown are now on display on her wall. In essence, I feel like I have done all that I can do for now. And I just have to hope that it's enough.
And this is what I love about my mother. She jokes that her doctor told her she would probably live to be 100. She figures he may be right since everything that keeps happening to her doesn't kill her but is just really annoying!!!!
So tomorrow I will head a few hours west, back to my own reality and my own life. I will hope for smooth sailing for both my mother and I for a while.
But of course I can't close without explaining the title I have chosen for today's blog! I actually thought of blogging the other day and came up with the title but didn't blog. It was about last Friday when I ran errands in Wichita and the three things I bought that day were flowers for myself, simply because I wanted them (sunflowers!), lipstick and a new motor for the greenhouse fan! Now before you go thinking I have REALLY changed, let me explain the lipstick! I can't remember where I learned it, but it works like a charm: if you have a door that won't latch, if you rub red lipstick on the part that goes into the catch, you can see where the lipstick hits and it will help you figure out what you need to do to fix it - or at least where the problem is!!! Not sure I know too many handymen who have lipstick in their tool kit, but I do! Not your typical shopping day for most females I am guessing, but that is pretty much how my life goes these days!
Matt left on Sunday and I headed to my mom's house in Pittsburg, KS after I dropped him at the airport. There was a part of me that was glad to get away and another part of me that feared I was leaving Brad with some sort of disaster waiting to happen while I was gone. So far so good from what I can tell and any disasters that happened were small or my amazing husband has fixed them on his own! Then again, I feel like these days I create most of the disasters, so maybe by having me gone and not starting projects, there is less to go wrong!
It's been a nice time with my mom in one way, but also sobering in another. I am writing this while she is fast asleep in the room next to me and secretly hoping that she won't log on and read this until I am gone tomorrow morning. I want to be genuine and honest on this blog, but I also know that she reads it........
My mother is getting old........ that is the hard reality of the last few weeks. I love the fact that she can be 88 and not consider herself "an old lady" - and now I know where I get it since I sure as hell don't feel like some damn 50 year old woman! Last time I looked I was about 30! But reality is sinking in and I feel like this most recent fall has forced our hand. Sight is diminishing, balance is shakier and things that used to be simple are no longer so. It's a tough pill to swallow - just as hard as any medication that can be prescribed because while you have no option but to "take it", there is no benefit reaped other than reality sinking in.
We are not ready for any big changes yet and I think this most recent fall was just a setback and not a detour, but one now gets the sense that "what I want to happen" and "what will happen" may not be the same. So these last few days with Mom I have decided that it's time for a few of those tough conversations that we all dread and no one really wants to have, but someone has to have. We have talked, we have cried and we have both realized that nothing is forever. At least I think so - I can't speak for her. It's really hard to hear her talk with excitement about her idea of buying a duplex and having either my sister or my neice live in the other side so they can watch out for her, while trying to convey to her that at age 88 and failing sight, that might be a tough move and put an incredible burden on whoever is living on the other side. The splash of reality that hit her in the face in that moment reduced me to tears. These are not moments that children ever assume they will see in their parents, and no matter what you tell yourself, you are never prepared to see it. The only way I know how to describe it is that your heart stops for a second and then it just feels like shattering glass........
Things are different now. I used to tip toe around the house while she was resting and now I can practically bang pots and slam doors and she doesn't hear me. We have reached that stage where there are about 100 Tupperware containers and 100 Tupperware lids, but none of them match up. Where you open the fridge and it's full of half eaten food saved for another meal and expired condiments or things that you really don't want to talk about before you send them down the garbage disposal. Opening the fridge or the freezer feels a little like going to Vegas ..... how lucky do you feel?!
But there are wonderful moments too. Every day when I get the mail I cringe at how many catalogs my mother gets and tell her she must be killing a forest all on her own! But I love to see her going through them and love the fact that every now and then she will treat herself to something she sees and wants. There were SO many years in her life where she didn't feel like she could buy anything for herself that it makes me happy when she does now. She always tells me how she wants to leave enough money 'when she's gone' so that each of her kids can have some and I tell her that all I need is money for a Diet Coke. If it comes down to a stained glass gazing ball for the yard or my inheritance, I am sure hoping she goes with the gazing ball!!!
And there are moments like today when I am at her financial advisor's office, filling out forms for a power of attorney so that I can have access to her financial records and I laugh at something the woman says and she grabs me by the arm and says "Oh my gosh, I SO saw your mother right there!". I want to cry and smile at the same time I guess. I take it as a compliment and can only hope I have her spirit as well.
I have looked at a few assisted living places on this visit (sorry Mom) and will tuck what I have learned away for future use if needed. I guess my theory is that it's better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. We have gotten a home care service in place to help her out once a week with cleaning and errands until she can get back to being able to do them on her own. I know more than I ever wanted to know about her finances, defrosted her deep freeze and put in plastic bins to elevate the things she has so that she doesn't have to bend down so far to reach them. I hung her diploma from her college graduation just 3 months ago, her cap and gown are now on display on her wall. In essence, I feel like I have done all that I can do for now. And I just have to hope that it's enough.
And this is what I love about my mother. She jokes that her doctor told her she would probably live to be 100. She figures he may be right since everything that keeps happening to her doesn't kill her but is just really annoying!!!!
So tomorrow I will head a few hours west, back to my own reality and my own life. I will hope for smooth sailing for both my mother and I for a while.
But of course I can't close without explaining the title I have chosen for today's blog! I actually thought of blogging the other day and came up with the title but didn't blog. It was about last Friday when I ran errands in Wichita and the three things I bought that day were flowers for myself, simply because I wanted them (sunflowers!), lipstick and a new motor for the greenhouse fan! Now before you go thinking I have REALLY changed, let me explain the lipstick! I can't remember where I learned it, but it works like a charm: if you have a door that won't latch, if you rub red lipstick on the part that goes into the catch, you can see where the lipstick hits and it will help you figure out what you need to do to fix it - or at least where the problem is!!! Not sure I know too many handymen who have lipstick in their tool kit, but I do! Not your typical shopping day for most females I am guessing, but that is pretty much how my life goes these days!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Here's to smudging!
Okay, first of all, my apologies for the pity party I invited you all to last time I wrote. I was apparently just having a really crappy day and needed to vent, but I sincerely do not think I was looking for sympathy. I personally look at my keyboard as my therapist right now, so we often have keyboard therapy sessions and you all were just privy to one! While I do like to entertain, pity parties are not my favorite event to stage so I will try to hold those to a minimum. (I am thinking about a pity basement painting party this winter but more on that later!).
Secondly, it was never my intent to throw Brad under the bus and I hope that is not how that was taken. He and I are both sort of overwhelmed with life and doing the best we can and I know that. He is the best man I have ever known - probably the best human being - and I never want to hurt him. He has put up with so much crap from me that I owe him big time and hopefully he and I can take turns being the one who needs a little lift from time to time. I am just so used to him being my anchor that it's hard when we are both treading water....... I love you Brad!
So life goes on! I am often not sure these days whether to laugh or to cry so often end up doing both - almost assuredly by the end of each day I have! One of my friends responded to something I had posted on facebook and asked me what I thought it was that I was supposed to be learning from all of this. If only I knew!!! Karma's a bitch? Patience is a virtue? Just breathe? I am still not sure......
I know it has been several days again since I posted. An update on Mom...... turns out that she did indeed appear to have a compression fracture at the T9 vertebra. They set up an appointment for her to have a procedure done this morning, much like the one she had done 10 years ago when she fractured at T11. After more xrays and tests, this fracture at T9 was determined to be old, so there is nothing they can do for it. Not sure exactly when it happened, but she can't have the procedure done. So for now we are in a holding pattern and the hope is that in a few weeks her pain will resolve. Two sisters have "shifts" before me, but I am headed there Sunday and will return to Wichita on Thursday
The house .... where to start. Like I said before, all I really would like is to string a couple of good "house days" together. Waiting ....... waiting ...... waiting ...... Today's adventure was the newly installed home security system! I say "new" but two of the three keypads were old existing keypads and the system used existing wires rather than new ones. About 8:30 this morning as I was actually feeling calm and reading the newspaper, I was about blown off my seat by the ear-splitting, nerve-jarring high pitched shriek of the house alarm! Not armed! WTF? Put in the code!. Stops. 3 seconds later - starts! Put in the code! A few seconds later ....... you get the picture. I call the company - they transfer me .... to a voicemail! I don't THINK so! Call back - they try to "talk me down". Seems to be okay. I hang up ..... 30 minutes later we repeat this scenario!
I can quite proudly tell you that I now know how to totally power down my entire house alarm thanks to Tech Support at ADT! Not something I ever thought I would need to know, but okay. They send a tech. According to him the "police" button is showing that it won't reset, so after trying everything he can, he basically decides the problem is in one keypad so he replaces it. Hallelujah and thank you Gus (the repair guy) - he tells me he's going to do it for no charge! He's a great guy and leaves me his cell phone number and tells me to call him if it goes off again.......
Fast forward about two hours........ "Hello Gus? This is Connie. It's going off again!". I have nothing but good things to say about ADT at this point. Gus comes back, gives me a third new keypad so that I now have all completely new keypads. He replaces the radio frequency thing that picks up the signals and also gives me an entire new remote! All at no charge! Gus rocks! Oh yeah - and Gus is about 25! What the heck us up with these Kansas guys names?! So far I have met Gus, Barney and Ennis!! What?!
So let's see..... what else..... came home the other day and the pond pump wasn't working. Turned out just to be a tripped circuit! Hallellujah! Big rainstorm last night and spent an hour fishing leaves out the pool this morning! Have leaf rake, will travel! Went to use the GFCI in the back yard to use some equipment. It had previously worked. Not now! Figured out which circuit breaker it was on, shut it down and put in a new one - take that stupid electrical system!! Oh yeah - remember that gas smell? Well , after a few stubborn days of short periods of digging and when I was about to call it off, I heard the tell tale clink of metal on metal (pick axe to shut down gas pipe). Unearthed it, called the plumber.... he will have to replace it rather than repair it which will involved trenching! Project on hold until later date since pool heater is not exactly required on surface of the sun!
But on the bright side, home warranty is coming through! Got a call this week that I get a new trash compactor, a new cook top, 2 new attic fans and they will cover the duct work repair that has to be done in the attic!! Woo hoo!! Still trying to figure out a few things so stay tuned! I have a feeling when I call American Home Shield now that a big red light comes on when my number pops up! "Oh #@%$?! Not HER!!!"
And on the other bright now - Matt is here for a visit! He arrived yesterday morning. The dogs are thrilled - and totally ditched Brad and I last night to sleep with Matt. (Must admit it was a good night's sleep for me!) The plan had been to do some antique/thrift store shopping with him, but instead I tossed him my car keys and my GPS and told him to have a good time as I waited for the alarm company! We did go to a concert tonight at WSU. Great concert by Robin Macy - one of the original Dixie Chicks who lives here in Wichita! It was wonderful! I am definitely in the right place to live since I love Bluegrass!!! Hopefully tomorrow he and I can have a little fun and then tomorrow night we are having the in-laws over for dinner. Smoking brisket and ribs! Matt and I are in charge!
And we did the sage smudge stick finally. It sat on the counter and I kept waiting for the time when it felt right and Brad and I had the time. Finally on Tuesday night we did it. I really, quite honestly, was not sure how to go about this, even though I had looked it all up online. I wanted to rid the negative energy from the house and feel like maybe Brad and I were getting a new start, but mostly I felt like a fool walking around the house with a smoldering sage and lavender bundle of dried herbs. Does it count when you are not sure what you believe? If you WANT this to work all the way down into your bones but you are not sure if you even believe it but feel like you will try anything? Does effort count? And just what the hell is it that I do believe in? Nothing like taking a semi-sacred ceremony to question all of these things - and then just praying that somewhere, the higher powers that be will know that your intentions are good, even if the execution is a little shaky. So Brad walked around with me and about half way through I got pretty emotional. I did so desperately want to believe in this but felt like I had no clue what I was doing.
I decided to finish up the smudge stick outside. I walked the whole perimeter of the yard, trying hard to believe. And I suddenly thought of a little boy I knew named Richard. I had been his "Auntie" in the Neonatal ICU in Salt Lake City. He was Native American. A preemie from Idaho, so I spent several hours a week with him since he parents couldn't be there. As it neared time for him to go home, there was some fear about sending him home. It's hard to bond from a distance and the parents were a little unrealistic - he was a bit of a high maintenance baby. Turns out those fears were justified and Richard didn't make it much longer. I believe his father is now serving time........
But as I walked the yard, I felt like Richard was with me in some sense after that. Like maybe the time I had spent with him was now being repaid to me. I sat on the patio and let the herbs burn down, then buried most of them in the earth. I took a small bowl inside with me and the next day put a pinch down each drain and flushed some down the toilets. Hey, can't hurt, right?! I rubbed some on my hands and across my forehead, then rinsed the bowl, stuck it in the dishwasher, showered and started my day.
So here's to brighter days! I feel them on the horizon!
Secondly, it was never my intent to throw Brad under the bus and I hope that is not how that was taken. He and I are both sort of overwhelmed with life and doing the best we can and I know that. He is the best man I have ever known - probably the best human being - and I never want to hurt him. He has put up with so much crap from me that I owe him big time and hopefully he and I can take turns being the one who needs a little lift from time to time. I am just so used to him being my anchor that it's hard when we are both treading water....... I love you Brad!
So life goes on! I am often not sure these days whether to laugh or to cry so often end up doing both - almost assuredly by the end of each day I have! One of my friends responded to something I had posted on facebook and asked me what I thought it was that I was supposed to be learning from all of this. If only I knew!!! Karma's a bitch? Patience is a virtue? Just breathe? I am still not sure......
I know it has been several days again since I posted. An update on Mom...... turns out that she did indeed appear to have a compression fracture at the T9 vertebra. They set up an appointment for her to have a procedure done this morning, much like the one she had done 10 years ago when she fractured at T11. After more xrays and tests, this fracture at T9 was determined to be old, so there is nothing they can do for it. Not sure exactly when it happened, but she can't have the procedure done. So for now we are in a holding pattern and the hope is that in a few weeks her pain will resolve. Two sisters have "shifts" before me, but I am headed there Sunday and will return to Wichita on Thursday
The house .... where to start. Like I said before, all I really would like is to string a couple of good "house days" together. Waiting ....... waiting ...... waiting ...... Today's adventure was the newly installed home security system! I say "new" but two of the three keypads were old existing keypads and the system used existing wires rather than new ones. About 8:30 this morning as I was actually feeling calm and reading the newspaper, I was about blown off my seat by the ear-splitting, nerve-jarring high pitched shriek of the house alarm! Not armed! WTF? Put in the code!. Stops. 3 seconds later - starts! Put in the code! A few seconds later ....... you get the picture. I call the company - they transfer me .... to a voicemail! I don't THINK so! Call back - they try to "talk me down". Seems to be okay. I hang up ..... 30 minutes later we repeat this scenario!
I can quite proudly tell you that I now know how to totally power down my entire house alarm thanks to Tech Support at ADT! Not something I ever thought I would need to know, but okay. They send a tech. According to him the "police" button is showing that it won't reset, so after trying everything he can, he basically decides the problem is in one keypad so he replaces it. Hallelujah and thank you Gus (the repair guy) - he tells me he's going to do it for no charge! He's a great guy and leaves me his cell phone number and tells me to call him if it goes off again.......
Fast forward about two hours........ "Hello Gus? This is Connie. It's going off again!". I have nothing but good things to say about ADT at this point. Gus comes back, gives me a third new keypad so that I now have all completely new keypads. He replaces the radio frequency thing that picks up the signals and also gives me an entire new remote! All at no charge! Gus rocks! Oh yeah - and Gus is about 25! What the heck us up with these Kansas guys names?! So far I have met Gus, Barney and Ennis!! What?!
So let's see..... what else..... came home the other day and the pond pump wasn't working. Turned out just to be a tripped circuit! Hallellujah! Big rainstorm last night and spent an hour fishing leaves out the pool this morning! Have leaf rake, will travel! Went to use the GFCI in the back yard to use some equipment. It had previously worked. Not now! Figured out which circuit breaker it was on, shut it down and put in a new one - take that stupid electrical system!! Oh yeah - remember that gas smell? Well , after a few stubborn days of short periods of digging and when I was about to call it off, I heard the tell tale clink of metal on metal (pick axe to shut down gas pipe). Unearthed it, called the plumber.... he will have to replace it rather than repair it which will involved trenching! Project on hold until later date since pool heater is not exactly required on surface of the sun!
But on the bright side, home warranty is coming through! Got a call this week that I get a new trash compactor, a new cook top, 2 new attic fans and they will cover the duct work repair that has to be done in the attic!! Woo hoo!! Still trying to figure out a few things so stay tuned! I have a feeling when I call American Home Shield now that a big red light comes on when my number pops up! "Oh #@%$?! Not HER!!!"
And on the other bright now - Matt is here for a visit! He arrived yesterday morning. The dogs are thrilled - and totally ditched Brad and I last night to sleep with Matt. (Must admit it was a good night's sleep for me!) The plan had been to do some antique/thrift store shopping with him, but instead I tossed him my car keys and my GPS and told him to have a good time as I waited for the alarm company! We did go to a concert tonight at WSU. Great concert by Robin Macy - one of the original Dixie Chicks who lives here in Wichita! It was wonderful! I am definitely in the right place to live since I love Bluegrass!!! Hopefully tomorrow he and I can have a little fun and then tomorrow night we are having the in-laws over for dinner. Smoking brisket and ribs! Matt and I are in charge!
And we did the sage smudge stick finally. It sat on the counter and I kept waiting for the time when it felt right and Brad and I had the time. Finally on Tuesday night we did it. I really, quite honestly, was not sure how to go about this, even though I had looked it all up online. I wanted to rid the negative energy from the house and feel like maybe Brad and I were getting a new start, but mostly I felt like a fool walking around the house with a smoldering sage and lavender bundle of dried herbs. Does it count when you are not sure what you believe? If you WANT this to work all the way down into your bones but you are not sure if you even believe it but feel like you will try anything? Does effort count? And just what the hell is it that I do believe in? Nothing like taking a semi-sacred ceremony to question all of these things - and then just praying that somewhere, the higher powers that be will know that your intentions are good, even if the execution is a little shaky. So Brad walked around with me and about half way through I got pretty emotional. I did so desperately want to believe in this but felt like I had no clue what I was doing.
I decided to finish up the smudge stick outside. I walked the whole perimeter of the yard, trying hard to believe. And I suddenly thought of a little boy I knew named Richard. I had been his "Auntie" in the Neonatal ICU in Salt Lake City. He was Native American. A preemie from Idaho, so I spent several hours a week with him since he parents couldn't be there. As it neared time for him to go home, there was some fear about sending him home. It's hard to bond from a distance and the parents were a little unrealistic - he was a bit of a high maintenance baby. Turns out those fears were justified and Richard didn't make it much longer. I believe his father is now serving time........
But as I walked the yard, I felt like Richard was with me in some sense after that. Like maybe the time I had spent with him was now being repaid to me. I sat on the patio and let the herbs burn down, then buried most of them in the earth. I took a small bowl inside with me and the next day put a pinch down each drain and flushed some down the toilets. Hey, can't hurt, right?! I rubbed some on my hands and across my forehead, then rinsed the bowl, stuck it in the dishwasher, showered and started my day.
So here's to brighter days! I feel them on the horizon!
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