Jumping Jacks?

Do you remember jumping jacks?

I did them in elementary school with my classmate, especially on rainy days when we could not go outside to play.

As an adult, I did them now and then in aerobic classes but they fell out of my repertoire. Until now.

With the onset of rain, rain and more rain, I switched to more indoor activities instead of walking as much. I still walk in the rain but with a dog on slippery sidewalks…not my favorite!

I walk up and down my stairs as a matter of course throughout the day and try to set aside time to walk steadily for five minutes or so. I listen to a favorite song while I walk slowly up and backwards down the stairs. My dog Riley is normally good about sitting watching me.

Enter my new smart watch which indicated that I am not getting my heart rate up high enough. So, I decided to add jumping jacks to my daily activities.

Wow, talk about exhausting! I managed to squeeze out a pitiful ten, not the best form, but my heart was pumping.

Now the challenge is to do ten measly jumping jacks quickly and robustly.

Is it worth it? I hope so.

I will let you know!

Google Surprise

I had a $200 credit from Google that could be redeemed only in the online Google Store.

Google is huge, huge company.

My last encounter with their hierarchy took days of calling before I spoke with a person who resolved my problem quickly and efficiently.

Still smarting from that experience, I dreaded starting the process, but $200 is $200.

So, I decided today was the day to contact their support division. I was prepared to call day after day until I reached someone who could help me.

I was flabbergasted when I reached someone within a relatively short period of time.

Like magic my problem was resolved and my $200 credit was spent.

In a few days, I will receive a smart watch. I chose this because of the fall detection feature.

I fell a few weeks ago and hit my head on my kitchen counter.

All of this was caught on my security camera. My feet were in the air and the sound of whimpering was pitiful.

More pitiful was the reason I fell…tripping over a rake in my kitchen!

Of course, it could have been a mop, broom or even the vacuum cleaner.

Maybe I should not sweep, mop or vacuum my floors or rake the leaves in the front yard?

Seriously, this was a wake up call that I needed a plan in case I fell and could not get up.

I will let you know how life is with my new smart watch.

TV drama 2.0

It finally dawned on me that what really upset me about the broken TV was dealing with customer service people either on the phone or thru the “chat” feature online, not face to face.

I longed to call Joe’s Appliance and have a serviceman with the store logo embroidered on his shirt come and fix the problem.

That was not to be in this time of large corporations, 800 numbers, confusing lingo, etc.

I repackaged the TV and returned it to Costco.

To their credit, the return was pretty easy. They confirmed that the serial numbers matched, issued a refund and I was good to go.

I was hesitant to buy another TV fearing that it too might be defective

I took a chance and within a short while my new TV was operational.

I don’t understand all of the “smart” features but at least I can tune into yoga and other exercise programs.

The previous TV was almost ten years old when it expired.

Crossing my fingers for this one to last ten years.

For now, a happy ending.

My new LG TV

Hello!

I treated myself to a new TV when my old one died.

Should have been simple but this bad boy did not want to connect to the Internet.

I unplugged, replugged, reset my modem. All of the first line trouble shooting steps.

I called the LG help line as well as the tech line at Costco.

On the phone forever with both of them. Frustrating.

Tonight I am beyond annoyed.

I sent this photo to a techy guy who diagnosed the TV as broken.

I plan to repack it and return it to Costco tomorrow.

My sad new LG TV!

No help or hope for the tech weary tonight!

It’s our turn

 It’s our turn.  

A heat wave has settled over the Portland area.

Gone are our coolish days and nights.  

Until yesterday, the weather has been so pleasant that I have not needed my central air conditioning system.  For a home built in 2010, my system, while better than nothing, is inadequate. I considered a mini split system but was discouraged by the $7000 cost.

In the meantime, I have cellular shades, shutters, awnings, darkening shades and fans to keep me and the house as cool as possible.   

Rather than fret, I am changing my behavior.  

  • Up early to shop, walk the dog and water my plants.
  • Never using my oven. 
  • Air drying my clothes.  
  • Eating salads, fresh fruit and gallons of gazpacho.   
  • Drinking lots of water. 

Still, I am plagued by an uneasy feeling, anxiety really, as I contemplate the changing weather patterns and especially the plight of the poor all over the world who have fewer choices.  

I am exhausted

It’s 2:16 A.M. and I am up with a sick dog.

She never gets sick during the day. It’s always in the middle of the night.

I open the back door for her and watch her through the window.

A few minutes later she comes to the back door, tail wagging, ready to come inside.

She seems to be over her distress. 

She returns to bed and resumes sleeping.

However, I am awake and on edge wondering if this is the end of it. 

Sure enough, about twenty minutes later she needs to go outside again.  

Once again, she comes in, returns to bed and falls asleep.  

That’s it.  She sleeps the rest of the night.  

I gradually fall asleep only to be awakened too soon by my alarm clock.  

Of course, she sleeps in while I begin my day.  

Health care professionals who preach the benefits of uninterrupted sleep have never experienced, or have forgotten, how infants and pets can wreck one’s sleep.

Yawn…

That slippery slope

Late one night, I walked into my kitchen to turn off the lights before going to bed only to discover dirty dishes in the sink that I had forgotten to wash. 

Putting them in the dishwasher was out of the question.  These dishes needed to be hand washed. 

I was so tired. My bed was calling.

Sighing, I decided to wash them and be done with it.

I reminded myself how happy I would feel in the morning to come into my clean kitchen.  

Also, I would not be going down that dreaded slippery slope!  

First a few dirty dishes left overnight.  

Then, dirty dishes all over my house, eating from food containers, eating while watching TV.  

Then not paying bills, not cleaning my house….Being locked away for vagrancy, sloth….

Oh my!

Of course, there is also the question of going back up that slippery slope.

By that I mean, re-establishing the good habits that I have let slide.  

Such as doing yoga everyday…feels so good afterwards, helps me move better, and decreases my stress.

Planks…just a few a day make a difference in my upper body strength and my core.  

And of course, a few push-ups.  

So, like Sisyphus, I will make myself do these things.

And then, do them again the next day and the day after, ad infinitum.

Lucky Me

Lucky me…

I get to work with a bully.

As if life were not challenging enough, feeling the heel of a jerk on my neck is beyond the pale.

The challenge is to maintain my professionalism at all times.

It is the only choice.

Being an older female in America is not easy.

Being in charge of my behavior and attitude is not easy either.

I must not cede my dignity.

This too shall pass.

Cancer

As a widow, I know the pain that comes with loss. 

I thought I was immune to the fear of death.  

Like the heroine of a Greek tragedy, I could bear the worst.  

Yet, when I was diagnosed with cancer, my stoic wall crumbled.

I was terrified.  I could not focus.  I could not settle down. 

This was Friday afternoon. Surgery was scheduled for Tuesday.

A long time away.

Over the weekend, I turned to the Internet to research my cancer. A big no-no. The information added to my agony. 

Surgery

The surgery went smoothly.

The wait for the results was  excruciating.

The days passed slowly.

My anxiety was through the roof.

I kept checking my phone for a missed call from my doctor.

When my doctor finally called to tell me that I was cancer-free, the relief was indescribable.

I could breathe again. I was giddy and thankful. Another chance!

And now

I  regret the time that I lost worrying and imagining the worst.

It’s easy to get caught up in fear, especially when death seems to be waiting in the next room. 

I hope to live in the present.

Life is too short to spend my days worrying.

My days are numbered. 

They always have been.  

My Super Power

I love to read.

I also like background music while I read. 

Soft, but not elevator music.  

My reading chair is close to my speaker. 

As I was reading today, I had to lower the volume in order to concentrate. 

It was then that I realized that I had lost one of my Mom super powers…the ability to drown out background noise of any kind.

I could read, talk on the phone, write a letter or make a list even when chaos was happening all around me to include the dog throwing up!

This skill kept me sane, especially on days when my rambunctious boys were confined indoors due to inclement weather.  

My sons are grown with their own domestic chaos.

My days are quiet and predictable.

Everything in its place, for the most part, day after day.

I relish this quiet even though, at times, I miss the busyness of parenting.

I miss being needed, being accountable for someone, to someone.

There is no turning back the clock.

I am grateful for my life.