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What are you doing right now? Part 2
John - good luck with the cold. The trip to Thailand sounds fun and was a nice reminder
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
It's cool in Querétaro right at the moment (50 F / 10 C), but will warm up to 75 F / 24 C this afternoon. Sunny and bright. I am drinking my morning coffee at a local Starbucks. I have two private English classes here at 1:00 and 2:00 today. I teach 30-35 one-hour classes most weeks, the majority at coffee shops, and the rest at students' workplaces.I live "alone", if you can call living with 9 pets "alone"! Three indoor cats, Scoodle dog, ferret, rabbit, hamster, and two ring-necked doves.
Most of my free time is spent with the pets and pursuing my reading and other cultural and intellectual hobbies. I am 59 now and intend to remain here for my retirement. The US is too expensive, and besides, I love the weather in the Mexican mountains. It seldom goes below 45 F / 7 C or above 86 F / 30 C.
Greg, opening cabinet doors is so that the heat gets to where the pipes are. they always tell you this when you live in an area that gets cold. they also tell you to run the water a little and leave it on so that the pipes won't burst. they usually have do it as a PSA on the news.This morning the temp was -3 here. My car would not start last night when I was leaving for work. My boss came and picked me up. Hoping it starts tonight.
At this moment I am looking out the office window watching a stiff wind blow through the trees. Wind is not great when you are in the shipping business, especially when you are the department that deals with all the claims for delays!Yesterday 22mm of rain fell in 10min in our local town and flooded the place. It was even reported on the news.
We may have some snow over the weekend.
Mod
The Tramontana in Perugia is rather famous, even if not as much as the BOra in Trieste, and has been described also by some noteworthy persoange of Peruginian Culture.
I've been righting reviews.. Just completed "Three Daughters of Eve" and "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"(both in English and German)...Feel free to check and comment.. Probably I have very controversial views.. (Who doesn't anyway..)
Wow Esther and Laura - good luck with all that wind and rain. Esther, I hope your clients are kind and understanding.
Yesterday it was extremely windy in Pescara as well. In fact, I believe many places in Italy were affected. It wasn't a cold wind here, though.Esther, that is a lot of rain in such a short time. I hope everything is back to normal.
Warming up a bit in Illinois. Snow still on the ground, kind of pretty actually. Went to a late lunch, Italian and now just chilling. Long day of work tomorrow.
A long hot day here yesterday, 41C/105F, and a day spent mostly in the pool with our grandee.
B the BookAddict wrote: "A long hot day here yesterday, 41C/105F, and a day spent mostly in the pool with our grandee."Too hot for me Bette! Though being poolside sounds nice.
I am currently watching TV with half an eye while catching up here.
I have spent time over the past several weeks trying to help my mom get some financial matters straightened out -- Social Security remains the most frustrating to deal with (she still isn't getting her survivors benefits due to her from my dad's death). It is more stressful because my mom varies between wanting me to do everything and insisting she doesn't need my help; after some months of being very irritated and upset by her variable attitudes, I have slowly come to realize that she is anxious about admitting she can't cope with things in case it means or is perceived by others that she is losing her mental faculties. Now that I recognize this, I am finding it a bit easier to be patient.
Leslie wrote: "It is more stressful because my mom varies between wanting me to do everything and insisting she doesn't need my help; after some months of being very irritated and upset by her variable attitudes, I have slowly come to realize that she is anxious about admitting she can't cope with things in case it means or is perceived by others that she is losing her mental faculties. Now that I recognize this, I am finding it a bit easier to be patient. "I'm so glad that you were able to understand the different attitudes of your mother. I link it to the book I finished reading yesterday where there's written that people are able to understand (and therefore also forgive some weird or bad behavior) and really help people only if they love them. If you don't love a person, you usually don't care to help or try only once. But only when you truly love a person you try to understand her, to forgive if necessary, and to help, because only through true love you achieve patience to go through this process of understanding/forgiveness/helping.
Leslie, I hope your Mum gets the financial help soon, so that both of you have less to worry about. Glad to know that you've figured out the reason for her changing attitude too, so you can be more patient. I'm sure it's still frustrating, but easier to understand now. Bette, far too hot for me! Though I agree with Leslie that the pool might help :)
Leslie, I hope things get squared away for your mother soon. It is hard having patience sometimes. I know that from my own experience with my mother . She would sometimes say I can do it myself. I’m not helpless. For my mother , it was a matter of pride and dignity and my sister and I sometimes had to tread carefully to do what she needed without hurting her feelings. You are such a good daughter so I know you will do what you have to do to get your mother through things.
Thanks all! Angela, that is exactly what my mother says at times! I have taken to responding that while I know she can do (whatever), I am offering to do it for her if she wants.
Joan wrote: "Wow Esther and Laura - good luck with all that wind and rain. Esther, I hope your clients are kind and understanding."The wind dropped yesterday noon but another storm is expected in the middle of next week. Our clients have to be understanding, it is the weather there is nothing much anyone can do. The contracts detail who pays for the weather delays I just have to check it is calculated correctly and then pay-up.
Leslie and Angela, the loss of dignity for an ageing parent is usually one that they all hold.
Leslie, clever response to your Mom, you sound like a wonderful daughter. I have one sister who has taken on caring for my Dad - and I wish I could thank her enough for all she does and how well she does.There should be an international Celebrate-the-Caregivers Day.
My mom lives with my youngest sister and her husband. Their choice but it does relieve us of much worry. Still she always tells us when we try to offer her advice, to stop patronizing her. She is 82. She is in fair health but does have some problems with her heart. She often wants to do more things than she should. But at least she is being looked after.
Diane S ☔ wrote: "My mom lives with my youngest sister and her husband. Their choice but it does relieve us of much worry. Still she always tells us when we try to offer her advice, to stop patronizing her. She is 8..."It's hard to receive advice from your own kids and not feel patronized (my parents are still alive).
My Mom lives with my brother and has for the past two yrs. He is getting remarried in June so we will have to make some decisions by then. I have noticed in the past 6 months that her dementia has gotten worse. It is very hard to see her like this. My mother was a voracious reader and now she doesn't have the concentration to do that anymore. She is 87 yrs old. It is not easy being a caregiver and anyone who takes on that job needs all the support they can get.
My Dad has Lewey Body Dementia, he is 93.The Dixie Chicks song “Silent House” seems so accurate.
https://youtu.be/HgsW7XDL9hY
Joan thank you for sharing the song. My Dad had the same form of dementia
Leslie wrote: "B the BookAddict wrote: "A long hot day here yesterday, 41C/105F, and a day spent mostly in the pool with our grandee."Too hot for me Bette! Though being poolside sounds nice.
I am currently wa..."
There ought to be a manual on how to deal with parents as they age and become ill. This is difficult for all involved. I hope things get worked out soon.
Life has been messy lately, which explains my absence. I have backed up in the thread , but if I have missed someone or something please forgive me,
My Dad has a problem with blood flow to the brain due to partially blocked arteries. He has undergone a couple of operations but they didn't help and at his age just living with the problem is the least dangerous option.His memory has always been a bit dodgy, though my mother does tend to carry on conversations when she is on the other side of the house and out of ear-shot and then gets furious because no-one can 'remember' what she said!
He also had an op to try and cure the snoring that was causing sleep apenea which exacerbated his vagueness.
But now he is 80 the weakening of his mental alertness is emphasising the fact that he doesn't really have a mother-tongue. As a child he spoke Arabic on the streets, French at school and Hebrew at synagogue. He has almost forgotten Arabic but spends most of his time speaking English, a language he learned in his late 20s.
Although he has no problem reading or watching TV in all three languages sometimes his mind 'hides' the vocabulary in all languages so he is unable to cobble together a comprehensible sentence.
Although he is more flexible mixing Hebrew and English - bad habits of bi-linguals, we often swap mid-sentence - when he has been talking French to his sisters if he tries to switch langugage straight away he is unable to form a sentence, even if I am answering him in that language.
He is still great at cooking and can carry on complicated conversations about maths and physics with my son but sometimes a simple yes/no question will leave him in a quandry and I have to decide for him.
It is very strange how the mind works.
Esther, thank for sharing about your father. I recognize the problems you speak of in relation to languages.
Esther - your Dad sounds like a fascinating man, good luck with the changes. Chrissie- welcome back - I hope the messiness eases.
Chrissie, I was thinking about you, I'm glad you're back. As Joan says, I hope things get less messy soon. Esther, thanks for sharing. Again, I echo Joan, your father does sound like a fascinating person. I had a similar problem when I was living in Luxembourg, despite my being in my early thirties. When my mental health was deteriorating due to severe depression, I had a really hard time forming a sentence. I used to speak Italian, English, German and French daily, and in the end it got so confusing I could barely speak anymore. Italian was okay, but I kept mixing English words in it. The other three languages were a mess.
Chrissie wrote: "Life has been messy lately, which explains my absence. I have backed up in the thread , but if I have missed someone or something please forgive me,"
Hope things get better soon, Chrissie.
Hope things get better soon, Chrissie.
Mod
I am almost finished with the first volume of an 1884 "triple-decker", The Chronicles Of Castle Cloyne by Margaret Brew. It is a grand Irish novel with a wide social scope, encompassing the lives of both tenants and landlords. I am enjoying the book greatly and think that anyone who responds to Victorian fiction would do so also. All three volumes are available at the Biblioboard app and at the Internet Archive (not at Project Gutenberg yet).This is the sort of novel that has been lost to literary history, but which may be rediscovered now through modern technologies.
Thanks all of you. So many thing have been going on and scaring me so I just want to forget them. I detest complaining about my diabetes, but it continually messes with my life.ALSO we have ad really, really high winds and storms here in Brittany. The winds have been so high that walking on the beach has been VERY difficult. .....and I am not one to give up easily. To make matters worse the tides have been very high due to the winter equinox. I know this sounds utterly crazy, but we calculate when we have to start the walk, at least two hours before high tide, so we could get back to our starting place before the tide covers up the beach with water. So what do we do? Walk on the beach in the pitch dark with flash lights. In the rain and sleet and high winds. A w week or two ago the water level changed so rapidly that on the way back my husband and I got separated and the water came almost up to my waste. This was scary! The same was about to happen today, but we managed to climb up on the boulders along the shore line. The whole coast line path is washed out making it difficult to get up on high ground. And we worry about Oscar, that he will be pulled in. And my flashlight goes out too soon; it is one of those you recharge.This is all going on before daybreak at about 6-8 in the morning. I have much more respect for the tide after what I have experienced this season. You see how stupid / stubborn I am!
This is all on top of the fact that both my husband and I have been sick and I never get a full night's sleep. So I am kind of worn out. I am having a terrible time admitting that maybe my husband I cannot do what we have always done before. Except that the weather IS worse than usual. One day on the beach my husband and I had to hold on to each other to move forward into he strong wind. Going home again in the other direction we could not move either b/c it almost blew us on our faces.
There have been deaths due to the storms in France, but not on beaches! So I reason how could one be so unlucky?!
When I come hone, listening to bools is my escape valve.
Chrissie! That was a terrifying story - I’m glad you made it home to write about it.You and your husband are certainly braver than I am. A stormy day at the beach can be invigorating, if I stay safely near an escape route, but your walk sounds like a nightmare. I had no idea that the storm in Brittany were so violent. I hope they ease soon.
So scary, Chrissie. Please stay safe!! This year has seen some strange weather in many parts of the world. Illnesses interfering with life I can relate, and feel for you. Hugs!!!
Folks in Great Britain, can you give me any advice?I’m trying to figure out where to turn for advice on coordinating a move to assisted-living or finding a live-saint to keep an eye on my cantankerous 98 year old mother-in-law. A nursing-aid from the NHS comes in daily but she needs checking on more often.
We are in the U.S. where the system is very different.
Joan, I hope you can find some good help, very hard to arrange from abroad. And how does your MIL see this? 98 years old, she deserves a medal.
Chrissie, stormy days are made to stay at home and read! :DI understand that you have to go out with Oscar, but please take him for a walk in a more safe place.
Well, we managed today on the beach. Again in the pitch dark, which I hate. Tomorrow the high tide has moved to a later hour so we will not have to walk only in the dark. Oscar is a total champ.What I have realized is that the contours of the beach have changed. There are cement steps that go from the higher land down to the beach, but they no longer go down to the beach but end up on the air. This must mean that much of the beach has been swept away. So for this reason when the water stats rising we are lower down than we were before. Hard to explain.....
Anyhow for the next two weeks conditions will improve rather than get worse. The tides are tided to the moon and where in the year you are and the weather and the contour of the land.
Today I had to drink coke to manage but my flashlight did not give out on me.
Thanks for letting me talk. Gets it off my chest.
dely wrote: "Chrissie, stormy days are made to stay at home and read! :DI understand that you have to go out with Oscar, but please take him for a walk in a more safe place."
Then I feel like the weather has won over me. Later in the day I take Oscar for a 45 minute walk through the village down to another beach, but that is my tame walk. That I do alone. I believe strongly in the value of exercise and fresh air. And I know that if I start giving up, I will probably give up completely......
Joan, I have sent you a private message which I hope has helped a bit. Let me know if I can do anything more.
Diane, I know you understand what it is like to always have to consider health. The thing is, it is not just you and it is not just me; there are so many of us with a medical problems. I have wondered if people with medical problems read more than others?????
Mod
I understand that you have to go out with Oscar, but please take him for a walk in a more safe place."
LOL!!!!
Chrissie wrote: "Then I feel like the weather has won over me. Later in the day I take Oscar for a 45 minute walk through the village down to another beach, but that is my tame walk. That I do alone. I believe strongly in the value of exercise and fresh air. And I know that if I start giving up, I will probably give up completely..."I understand what you mean, but you can't put in danger your life. I live on the seaside and when it's stormy no one goes to take a walk nearby because the waves are dangerous. People who live here know exactly how dangerous it is. This doesn't mean that we are lazy people. It means that we go for a walk somewhere else, where it's safe.
If you go for a few days to take a walk somewhere else, it doesn't mean that you will give up completely; it means that you take care of yourself. Or go during the day seen that the tides are so dangerous in the morning and it's also dark.
Sorry if I seem rude, but I worry about you. I don't want that you risk your life because of stubbornness.
dely, you are in no way rude! You are just saying your opinion, and clearly you know what you are talking about. I have much more respect for the tides than I did before. Except .............there are lots of things in life one might never dare to do. Living that way you miss a lot. This isn't to say one should not be careful and use one's head to figure out what is unnecessarily risky. I think our normal beach has become more dangerous than it ever was before, and we must in the future take this into consideration when we plan how to walk.
Chrissie, I'm with everyone; please take good care of yourselves and Oscar when taking your beach walks. Where I lived on the coast had an area of extremely rough water and changing seascape. I had to resolve that it was just too dangerous for me and the dogs to walk there at certain times, and learned to adjust our entire schedule. And I always let someone know when I was walking; please do the same.
B the BookAddict wrote: "Chrissie, I'm with everyone; please take good care of yourselves and Oscar when taking your beach walks. Where I lived on the coast had an area of extremely rough water and changing seascape. I had..."We will in the future me much more careful. I am curious to see if they come and fix the steps that used to make it possible to leave the beach to get to higher land.
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A little over fifteen past six in the AM over here in North Carolina. Temperatures right now are in the mid twenties Fahrenheit (negative 14 Celsius). Lot of burst pipes in the c..."
Glad you enjoyed your trip to Thailand John, and thanks for the tip about the cabinet doors. I'd never heard that before. Opening the cabinet doors underneath pipes helps prevent the from freezing? Was that something the emergency services recommended?