All Stretched Out!

 All Stretched Out!

 

Today the PT exercises were just a wee bit different. Most were still stretches that did not hurt on the left side and hurt like a sonofagun on the right side. By the time the old body got home, it would have been nice to have just put the body in a hot tub and soaked a while. Not a chance. The new microwave was here, and Donny Anderson came up and took it out of the box. The plate was in good shape along with the little thing that runs around under it. But the entire left back corner showed that it has had a pretty good whack because it even still has a piece of the soft stuff crammed down in its casing. The microwave turned on when Donny plugged it in, and it works like a champ, but Amazon definitely needs to speak to the folks who do their deliveries. Anyway, Lance will be here this weekend to box up the other microwave and do whatever they need to do with it. NEVER again will something like this happen. If something needs to be replaced, will call around and find something local and pick it up in the truck and get someone to unload it and set it up. This dealing with Fedup or whoever is a bunch of frustration just waiting to happen. But really do appreciate the fact that Jennifer got this thing for me. It is big enough to cook just about anything and has all kinds of settings. If such a thing as a microwave container existed that would hold a big roast, this thing would cook it!

 

Connie bought some venison patties sometime back too long ago for her to remember when, so she brought them over for me to cook and feed to the dogs. They smell good, anyway. They are currently cooling off in the top of the fridge so that they can be pulled apart to be fed to my dogs. That should make for two happy dogs. Of course, it does not take too much to make them happy.

 

The main physical therapist who is responsible for the type of exercises used for me came and sat down and showed me what she wanted me to do at home. At the top of the paper, she wrote “without pain.” That meant that if it hurt, stop. It would be so easy to just not do this stuff, but will keep trying.

 

Met up with Mark Ogle’s niece at PT today. She has only been working there for two weeks. Mark had told me that she had moved up here, but it never occurred to me that she would be at the therapy center. Anyway, it was nice to talk to her. We talked about her mom, Janie, and how she was doing now. Seems she started out with “sundowners” and the medication she was given for depression after her husband died caused other problems. Now she is doing much better and is pretty sharp, but she just still needs for someone else to take care of her. It is so hard to imagine that hard working, busy woman having to have someone else take care of her, but such is life. Who knows when that can happen to any of us!

 

“Little Brother” just called to tell me how things are going in Arkansas. Asked about Jacob and was told that they had him up walking some today to try to get him limbered up somewhat. Then Sterling told me that his youngest is getting married again tonight. Hope this marriage works out well for all of them. That entire family has so many connections and children to attend to. The oldest person in the family is Betty at 95, and think the youngest baby is about a week old or so. And for the most part, they all live together. Sterling said that he and Jacqui are about three weeks away from being able to move into the house that they had remodeled. He believes that they will be very happy with the house and all the changes they made to it. At least, it sounds nice and new and clean.

 

Jennifer made some comment recently about wishing a new house were in the future for me. Honestly, just love this ol’ house and all its rooms. It might not have a wall open between the living room and kitchen the way her last two houses have, but this house makes me happy. In fact, living on this hill with its wind and weather has made me very happy for 53 years. Yes, the neighborhood has changed drastically, but with the exception of the dipsticks behind my house, no one really bothers me. The dogs are happy to run from one end of the place to the other, and the hens manage to eat every flying bug or wiggling worm out there in that grass. While it is true that my body is no longer capable of the work that kept the weeds down and the stickers eliminated as it was when that body was 30 or so, it is still a joy to step outside and watch the hens race down to the far end of the east lot to chase bugs or the dogs run out to the west side to chase off the silly ducks that have landed to look for spare pieces of corn and maize. No one is bothered by whatever my decisions are for each day. No one has to walk around me or wonder if anything is bothering me or my critters. And no one has to keep their own secrets from me while my mind is on my own business. Yep, want to stay right here just as long as possible to live my own life. We should all be as blessed as this ol’ woman.

 

Thinking that a phone call to Sutherlands about some plexiglass might be in the works for tomorrow. That sheet of glass that broke in the bottom of the fridge really should be replaced. Think if they sell the kind that is needed, may just have to take it over there and see if they will cut it for me. Maybe that will be one of the major tasks for tomorrow after PT. Just usually don’t have a whole lot of energy left by the time the truck heads home. But this needs to be done. So maybe tomorrow. Hmm. They don’t cut it. And they no longer handle the blades for the saws to cut it, but they have some 25 by 25-inch sheets less than ½ inch thick. Now if someone around here could cut it to fit, that would take care of that. Or, if worse came to worse, American Glass might be a better possibility. They open at 8 a.m. so will call them and see what they say. Bet taking the top part of the drawer holder to them would work. Considering the fact that this box has been around since we remodeled this place 20 years ago, that is not bad service!

 

Was attempting to find Robert Browning’s Caliban Upon Setebos online. A synopsis was easy enough to find, but that was not really the point of looking for it. Also, found a synopsis of The Tempest by Shakespeare. Would just as soon have a movie of that one, but could not find it on the movie channels on the TV. Oh well. Teaching English or literature today is totally different than when everything came out of a book. Getting students to read or to think for themselves is a very different challenge than what it once was. How do young people even learn to think for themselves if they believe that SparkNotes is the answer to writing? Oh well. Eventually the world may change again with another turn or two. Instead of learning to see the general picture and how it affects others, each person will only see his or her own life. And it does seem to be heading that way to a greater degree each day. Let a billionaire fly into space while his employees struggle to make a living or suffer from the lack of time to go to relieve themselves in a restroom, and we can easily see that caring for the welfare of others does not originate with rich employers. Deep sigh.

 

We still have more reasons to be grateful than resentful in this life. The sun comes up while the birds sing to us. Even the dandelions have managed to root up the sidewalks that no longer lead to homes or jobs. We may all have to learn to follow Euell Gibbons’ teaching about eating from the earth around us. But we can still be assured that God cares about each and every one of us. So, rejoice in life! And know this: you are loved.