I had a very busy day yesterday and now there is this sense of NOW WHAT? I did more yesterday than I had done in the last 2 weeks total.
I know I need to do something with the couch and maybe finish unpacking the 2 overnight bags that I used to go out to OH with. One of the bags had things that I would carry in a purse if I needed one that big and the other has food stuff in it. No it doesn't have spoiled food in it, it does have oatmeal that I like and a few other things that I can only get out near my sister. I try and pick up a few things when ever I go out there to have here at home. It doesn't last long when I get it home so maybe that's the reason I haven't unpacked the bag, if I unpack it it means that I'll see the stuff and eat it all up. Maybe I should go ahead and eat it all because I'm heading back out there in 2 weeks and can get more. The nice thing about bringing home food stuff is I don't have to spend cash to get it. I can use my food stamps and that is nice. I guess I can use them all over the United States and PR. I have been reading of people who sign up for state aide in MA then go back to PR and continue to receive their benefits even though they don't live here. There was a big write up in the paper about it a few months ago. I am afraid that by using my benefits in OH I'm going to get shut off but I have a feeling if they look back at my usage and see for the most part I use them in MA then they won't shut me off. But there is that fear in the bad of my mind they will only look at a small period of time and it will be the time I'm out at my sisters.
I did 4 loads of laundry yesterday, made lunch for the youth pastor at church and helped my upstairs neighbor get into bed. That is a very full day for someone who usually sits on the couch all day watching TV. I'm paying for it today and hope that it doesn't get any worse than I'm feeling right now. I do have some pain medication I can take but I don't want to unless I absolutely HAVE to. I'm going to try stretching and ibuprofen first and see how that works before I reach for the narcotics. I don't like taking them in the first place and don't want anyone to say I'm addicted to them in any way shape or form. I only take them when I have to and I don't go to the doctors or emergency room every week with some imaginary pain to get them.
So here I sit wondering what I should do for the day and what I can actually get done. I'm hoping that I can get the bags unpacked and put away so Middy can have her chair back to use to get to the top of the chifferobe. She really doesn't like using the back of the couch to get up there.
So wish me luck in getting things done today. I will be happy if I can get just a little bit done today. Any little thing to make the house look a little better will make me happy.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Laundry day and lunch
When I went to church last Sunday I invited the youth minister over for a luncheon. I had pretty much decided that I was going to make a hot lunch as I didn't have sandwich meats and our youth minister has a lot going on in the evenings and doesn't always get a hot meal in the evening. So today I'm making pork chops, mashed potatoes and what ever vegetable I find in the cabinate or freezer. Now I've been thinking about seeing how this works out and if it does how I may want to start doing this on a daily basis because by the time it's dinner time (between 5 and 6 PM) I am so tired that I can't think straight or can't stand to make dinner. If I'm going to make it earlier in the day it will also mean that I'm actually getting a meal. I don't always get anything good to eat because at dinner time I'm wiped out from my activities of the day. (yah, sitting on the couch on the computer and watching TV is very tiring) I have been having a bad case of Fibro Fog and of course the Fibromyalgia wipes me out a lot so by the time dinner is supposed to be made it's the last thing I really want to do.
So besides having the youth minister over for lunch I'm also doing laundry. It's not a matter of wanting to do it so much as I have NO choice today. I'm out of clean cloths and need to get stuff washed. I started out doing laundry with the sheets on my bed. I have the spread over at the laundry room to do but am thinking I'll bring over the cloths to do next. I made sure to set the timer when I got back here so I'd know when to go back over to switch the load into the dryer. It always takes longer for the washer to run than it says it does on the washer so I set the timer for 8 minutes longer than the time on the washer. When I get back after the sheets go in the dryer I'll set the timer again for how long the dryer is supposed to go for and when that's done I'll start another load of wash. I have the bed spread that needs to be washed and also a whole load of towels so I'll have washed 4 loads of laundry by the time the day is done. I want to catch the dryer before it goes off because some of the laundry is light and won't take the whole time that you get from putting $1.75 in and I'm hoping to save a little bit of money by drying things till they are dry but not scorching dry. I need to make sure I check the dryer setting to make sure I'm drying on the right cycle as well.
So all in all today will be a busy day. It's already 9:15 and I have a lot to do before my company gets here between 12:30 and 12:45. It won't take me long to cook the pork chops and vegetable. It's the mashed potatoes that take time but if I get everything prepped before hand things will go easier for me. As soon as I finish this I'm going to peel the potatoes and get them in water to soak.
Got interrupted here. As I was heading over to put the next load of laundry into the washer the fire alarm started going off again. I quickly gathered what I might need if there was a fire in the building besides the cats because they are a two person project to get out. Then because I knew that they were going to kick us out till the fire department cleared the building I went to sit outside. Forgetting of course about switching laundry over because what if there really was a fire? Well one of the maintence men came running to check out the building and said there wasn't any fire and went in to shut off the alarm. It took about 20 minutes for the alarms to go off so now I'm back to doing laundry and getting my luncheon going.
So bye for now. I'll write more at some other time.
So besides having the youth minister over for lunch I'm also doing laundry. It's not a matter of wanting to do it so much as I have NO choice today. I'm out of clean cloths and need to get stuff washed. I started out doing laundry with the sheets on my bed. I have the spread over at the laundry room to do but am thinking I'll bring over the cloths to do next. I made sure to set the timer when I got back here so I'd know when to go back over to switch the load into the dryer. It always takes longer for the washer to run than it says it does on the washer so I set the timer for 8 minutes longer than the time on the washer. When I get back after the sheets go in the dryer I'll set the timer again for how long the dryer is supposed to go for and when that's done I'll start another load of wash. I have the bed spread that needs to be washed and also a whole load of towels so I'll have washed 4 loads of laundry by the time the day is done. I want to catch the dryer before it goes off because some of the laundry is light and won't take the whole time that you get from putting $1.75 in and I'm hoping to save a little bit of money by drying things till they are dry but not scorching dry. I need to make sure I check the dryer setting to make sure I'm drying on the right cycle as well.
So all in all today will be a busy day. It's already 9:15 and I have a lot to do before my company gets here between 12:30 and 12:45. It won't take me long to cook the pork chops and vegetable. It's the mashed potatoes that take time but if I get everything prepped before hand things will go easier for me. As soon as I finish this I'm going to peel the potatoes and get them in water to soak.
Got interrupted here. As I was heading over to put the next load of laundry into the washer the fire alarm started going off again. I quickly gathered what I might need if there was a fire in the building besides the cats because they are a two person project to get out. Then because I knew that they were going to kick us out till the fire department cleared the building I went to sit outside. Forgetting of course about switching laundry over because what if there really was a fire? Well one of the maintence men came running to check out the building and said there wasn't any fire and went in to shut off the alarm. It took about 20 minutes for the alarms to go off so now I'm back to doing laundry and getting my luncheon going.
So bye for now. I'll write more at some other time.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Train rides
I spent the last 3 weeks out in Ohio taking care of my sister. She had to have neck fusion surgery where they went in and fused 4 vertabrea. I was told a week before the surgery that this was happening and I had told her when she first thought she was going to have it done that I would come out and help her. So that's what I did for her. I dropped everything that I had planned and went out to help her. That's what sister are supposed to do for each other..........Help.
I'm not going to say it was an easy thing to do because it wasn't. I don't travel well because of not being able to move around a lot on a swaying train. I can get up and walk to the bathroom or go to the dining car but it's not easy. When I get off the train I'm stiff and sore and all I want to do is sleep for 24 hours. I leave here at 12:55 in the afternoon and don't get there till 5:55 the next morning. It a long ride to just sit and for some reason I can't seem to sleep overnight on the train. I do try but I can't get comfortable enough to actually sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. This time out I was able to sleep for about 5 hours so I wasn't quite as wiped as I usually am when I get to OH. Of course this time out we had a lot of slow downs and ended up not getting into Toledo till 11:30 in the morning which is almost 6 hours behind schedule. There was a lot of rain and flash flood warnings which necessitated the train slowing down to 15 miles an hour which means we were basically going 1/4 of the speed we normally go at. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the Cleveland station from Toledo and going out it took 3 hours to get to the next station. It was a real long ride because of the delays from rain. Rain is a good thing but not when I travel.
Coming back there were no delays which was nice. I also slept more coming back than I did going out. I had a seatmate who spent quite a bit of time in the cafe' car which left the seat next to me open for anyone else to sit in and I had to tell a few people that the seat was taken and it didn't go over well with some of them. The train was crowded as it was and a lot of people ended up in the cafe' car just to have a place to sit. It got better as we came east and by the time we got past Albany there were a lot more seats for people who got on. My seat mate was a very large man, not that I'm a small woman, and we kept bumping elbows at times when he was sitting in the seat. He ended up getting off in Pittsfield and someone got on in Springfield and sat with me to Worcester. We both got off there. I enjoyed sitting with my first seatmate and talking. I even went with him to the cafe' car and got us both coffee. He is an attorney and it was great to talk to him about everything. There was also a woman, who got on in Cleveland, with 3 children sitting behind me. Seven year old twin boys and an eleven month old girl. The little girl couldn't go to sleep and at time her screaming kept a lot of people awake in our car. I heard a lot of people complaining about her but it wasn't the little ones fault she was tired and couldn't go to sleep. The twins had a lot of things to keep them quiet and you didn't even know they were there most of the time. I felt bad for the poor mother. She tried everything she could to make Elle quiet but not much worked. All in all I can't fault her for her mothering, she is a great mother who was making the best of a bad situation. God bless her. The kids are real cute and maybe I'll see them again. She had a long trip with no help and I felt for her. What she needed when she got off the train was about 24 hours with no children and unfortunately she wasn't going to get that. I wish her well while she's here in MA.
I have to make this trip again in 3 weeks. I'm going back out to OH to help my sister again. She is in dire need of someone who can cart her around. She can find someone to take her to her doctors appointments but just to go out to go out is something she won't have access to. I needed to come home to spend some time with the cats and take care of things here at my house so I came home. I told her I had to be here through the third of the month but would come back out after that and stay for another 2 weeks. That will make it a few days short of 8 weeks since her surgery and by that time she will be able to drive herself around. I'm sure she will be happy when she gets that OK from the doctor. Right now she doesn't have much help around the house either. Her husband tries but she's so particular about how she wants things done that no one can get things done the way she wants them done. I give them both credit for making their marriage work for as long as they have. I hope and pray they keep going. It takes communication and both of them need to get better at it. I can see they are trying.
I hope my next trip out I can bring a pillow with me. I also need to see if I can find the pocket blanket to cover up with as the train cars can get real cold. I'm also going out with one empty or almost empty suitcase because my sister has said we are going to go through her fall cloths and I'm getting a bunch to bring home with me. I can't wait. Every time I go out I come home with an almost completely new wardrobe. It's nice to have new cloths even if they are only new to me. I also want to see if I can get another pair of shoes soon as winter is coming and I'm going to need them. I should get some boots but I'll have to see how things go. Maybe I can talk my sister into getting them for me.
I'm also trying to talk my oldest son into coming out with me. He can probably go to Indiana to visit his cousin and spend some time with him. I hope he will decided to travel with me and we can sit together during the trip. I can always send him to the cafe' car to be able to stretch out or I can go there to let him stretch out. I pray he will come with me. He only has a few days to decide and I hop he comes.
Well that's what happened on the train out and back and my plans for a coming trip. I hope someone reads this so I don't feel like I'm writing this to myself.
I'm not going to say it was an easy thing to do because it wasn't. I don't travel well because of not being able to move around a lot on a swaying train. I can get up and walk to the bathroom or go to the dining car but it's not easy. When I get off the train I'm stiff and sore and all I want to do is sleep for 24 hours. I leave here at 12:55 in the afternoon and don't get there till 5:55 the next morning. It a long ride to just sit and for some reason I can't seem to sleep overnight on the train. I do try but I can't get comfortable enough to actually sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. This time out I was able to sleep for about 5 hours so I wasn't quite as wiped as I usually am when I get to OH. Of course this time out we had a lot of slow downs and ended up not getting into Toledo till 11:30 in the morning which is almost 6 hours behind schedule. There was a lot of rain and flash flood warnings which necessitated the train slowing down to 15 miles an hour which means we were basically going 1/4 of the speed we normally go at. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the Cleveland station from Toledo and going out it took 3 hours to get to the next station. It was a real long ride because of the delays from rain. Rain is a good thing but not when I travel.
Coming back there were no delays which was nice. I also slept more coming back than I did going out. I had a seatmate who spent quite a bit of time in the cafe' car which left the seat next to me open for anyone else to sit in and I had to tell a few people that the seat was taken and it didn't go over well with some of them. The train was crowded as it was and a lot of people ended up in the cafe' car just to have a place to sit. It got better as we came east and by the time we got past Albany there were a lot more seats for people who got on. My seat mate was a very large man, not that I'm a small woman, and we kept bumping elbows at times when he was sitting in the seat. He ended up getting off in Pittsfield and someone got on in Springfield and sat with me to Worcester. We both got off there. I enjoyed sitting with my first seatmate and talking. I even went with him to the cafe' car and got us both coffee. He is an attorney and it was great to talk to him about everything. There was also a woman, who got on in Cleveland, with 3 children sitting behind me. Seven year old twin boys and an eleven month old girl. The little girl couldn't go to sleep and at time her screaming kept a lot of people awake in our car. I heard a lot of people complaining about her but it wasn't the little ones fault she was tired and couldn't go to sleep. The twins had a lot of things to keep them quiet and you didn't even know they were there most of the time. I felt bad for the poor mother. She tried everything she could to make Elle quiet but not much worked. All in all I can't fault her for her mothering, she is a great mother who was making the best of a bad situation. God bless her. The kids are real cute and maybe I'll see them again. She had a long trip with no help and I felt for her. What she needed when she got off the train was about 24 hours with no children and unfortunately she wasn't going to get that. I wish her well while she's here in MA.
I have to make this trip again in 3 weeks. I'm going back out to OH to help my sister again. She is in dire need of someone who can cart her around. She can find someone to take her to her doctors appointments but just to go out to go out is something she won't have access to. I needed to come home to spend some time with the cats and take care of things here at my house so I came home. I told her I had to be here through the third of the month but would come back out after that and stay for another 2 weeks. That will make it a few days short of 8 weeks since her surgery and by that time she will be able to drive herself around. I'm sure she will be happy when she gets that OK from the doctor. Right now she doesn't have much help around the house either. Her husband tries but she's so particular about how she wants things done that no one can get things done the way she wants them done. I give them both credit for making their marriage work for as long as they have. I hope and pray they keep going. It takes communication and both of them need to get better at it. I can see they are trying.
I hope my next trip out I can bring a pillow with me. I also need to see if I can find the pocket blanket to cover up with as the train cars can get real cold. I'm also going out with one empty or almost empty suitcase because my sister has said we are going to go through her fall cloths and I'm getting a bunch to bring home with me. I can't wait. Every time I go out I come home with an almost completely new wardrobe. It's nice to have new cloths even if they are only new to me. I also want to see if I can get another pair of shoes soon as winter is coming and I'm going to need them. I should get some boots but I'll have to see how things go. Maybe I can talk my sister into getting them for me.
I'm also trying to talk my oldest son into coming out with me. He can probably go to Indiana to visit his cousin and spend some time with him. I hope he will decided to travel with me and we can sit together during the trip. I can always send him to the cafe' car to be able to stretch out or I can go there to let him stretch out. I pray he will come with me. He only has a few days to decide and I hop he comes.
Well that's what happened on the train out and back and my plans for a coming trip. I hope someone reads this so I don't feel like I'm writing this to myself.
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