The sunshine energizes me. Yesterday morning, as Sheba slept in, I re-organized several shelves and cupboards, and I have started culling things from my life and boxing them to donate to GIRO, our recycling center. I love decluttering and shrinking my inventory of things, but it takes resting every fifteen minutes or so to catch my breath.
Poor Sheba was a wreck yesterday. She has really badly damaged one foot. It felt like torture to remain indoors all day while outside it was so brilliantly sunny and warm.
When I moved into this place, it came with a large stain in the bedroom carpet that was right at the entrance to my walk-in closet. It looked terribly dirty, so I applied myself a couple of time to removing the stain with soap and water and a good stiff brush. Nothing, however, worked.
Then, about six weeks ago when I was freaking out about the bad smell in the house, I bought a small Bissell carpet cleaner. I never used it, though, because I found that the stink was coming from a carpet and not the furniture. However, having had the carpet cleaner for so long, I decided to try it on the stain. And it worked perfectly. I am thrilled with the results, and now that the machine is assembled and I know how to use it, I’ll be cleaning all my furniture next. Such small domestic pleasures thrill this old weary man.
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This morning started with a bang in the dark! It was 5:20 am, and I was coming in with wood and yes, I was pooped. Somehow, I tripped, and I dropped a lot of wood, but I caught myself from falling on the edge of the steps. I left the fallen wood and headed to the house with just some of it and I heard voices.
When I came into the house, I realized where the voices were coming from. I wear a fall alert alarm and the people at Lifeline were calling me. There is a device in my house through which they can speak to me. I assured them that I was okay and didn’t need any help, then I got back to fetching the rest of the wood and lighting the fire.
At 5:45, Sheba started barking and that was followed by knocking on my door! At 5:45 in the morning. It was Ali and Pete, my neighbours just returned from months of voyaging to Edmonton, Montreal, Panama and Costa Rica. Lifeline had called them because they were worried. My difficulty in speaking and my audible shortness of breath alarmed the operator regardless of my assurance that I was fine. So, Pete went home, and Ali stayed for a short visit. Not long after she left, Dwight called. Lifeline had called him as well.
The alarm is a great service, but there are a lot of false alarms with this newer device I got a few months back. But hey, better safe than sorry. I apologized to everyone for causing them concern and at such an early hour.
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It’s my day today. It’s sunny and warm and Sheba is walking better because I have bandaged her foot well, so we shall do some modest walking today—very modest!
One more sleep to Dr. Chen. The wait, begun last May, is about to shift from what is wrong to what is to be done.
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