Patrisha

December 20, 2007

Yesterday & Today

Yesterday I went to physical therapy and in the course of working specific muscles, Candace told me that coming to their office is much better than going to the pool for me at this point because she can have me work specific muscles and she can be sure I am doing it correctly. She keeps telling me how weak these muscles are and I half-think that she is getting me ready for never walking without a stick again. In a way, I wouldn’t mind. As my sister did, I have mostly adjusted to life with the use of only one hand, which is how it is when one has a cane in one hand, but on the other hand, I really REALLY want to be able to take long walks again. I know I am going to continue with the exercises I do at PT at home. The problem is that for me progress is so S-L-OW and I don’t know it this is normal or if it is because of my age… Anyway, I was so tired yesterday that I was in bed by 9 pm and asleep by 10.

Today I have been struggling with setting the heat thermostat. We have decided that the program that Mike and Melanie had it on is too warm for us. We actually prefer a cool house not to mention the saving of money. I usually get up around 7 am and by then the heat has come up to 70 degrees which is too hot for us. So, Fred gave me the little book and I got to playing with the settings. I have managed to get it to go down to 67 and stay there but I also need to have it go automatically to 63 at night. Of course, as Fred pointed out, we can move it manually to 63 before we go to bed, or actually before he goes to bed since he is usually the one up last and it will pop up to 67 at , I think 8 am. And that is another thing. The day, according to the thermostat, is divided into four sections. I can tell it to come on at 8 am or 6 am but not at 7 am! It can , I think, only be set to change at the time the preset period starts! The annoying things here are that the thermostat is in a dark area of the apartment, it is set at a level where I have to stoop to get it on eye level which eventually makes my back hurt, and the actual setting buttons are marked with very small writing. I can barely see it and have to push my face right up to it to see it clearly. I may have to get a flashlight to finish setting it! {And Fred’s eyesight these days is worse than mine so I can’t just give it to him! }
Anyway, it WILL get done. Eventually!

I am SO tired of this snow. This morning we haven’t had any so far and I don’t know if we are due for any more. Also this morning, I added another bag of non-recyclable trash to the one that was outside on the deck, AND a bag of cans and bottles. There are huge icicles hanging out back and front, and this morning when we put out mail to be picked up, we found the step and the area in front of the step were covered with ice because water drips down from the icicles during the day and freezes at night. Very dangerous for two people who are somewhat unsteady on their legs anyway! Fred sent email to our landlord who lives upstairs asking him to do something about this.

On a totally different subject, my desktop computer has been behaving oddly. I have been keeping it on full time because one morning when I booted it up, it couldn’t find the keyboard. Well, right out of the blue, yesterday evening, it mislaid the keyboard again! This morning , it was still the same way so I disconnected and reconnected the keyboard and suddenly, the computer found the keyboard. It is not as if this was the only computer I can use but it is the one I use the most often so I was a bit annoyed. Anyway, as I think I have mentioned before, at least I know I can get on the floor and up again with NO PAIN!

QUOTATIONS:

"Step by step. I can’t think of any other way of accomplishing anything."

Michael Jordan

darlingnikki

December 21, 2007

TheWoodsprite

Probably it’s normal for progress to be kinda slow. I don’t blame you for being impatient! But I bet you WILL be able to walk without your cane again….by summer maybe! Your landlord had better get busy taking care of that ice; I don’t want you or Fred to go down on it! I have NEVER been able to walk on ice, so I daresay I won’t get any better at it as I get older! hugs, Weesprite

lifeisuhmistury

I’m with Weesprite on getting that landlord in gear on ice removal. I am scared stiff of falling and hurting myself. Recovery after any injury takes a long time, longer still the older we get it seems. As long as you keep at it and remember to keep your muscles well hydrated too, you’ll do well! Now that I know your keyboard is playing hide and seek I feel bad about tagging you,shall I go tag someone else or do you still want tp play Patrisha? Your call, my friend!

Hi, Patrisha, I saw your note to Anna, and thought I’d give you our password in case she doesn’t get on line for a few days. It’s goals07. Merry Christmas! Claire

You’ve come a long way and even if progress is slow, you are making progress! One step at a time, I believe you will just keep getting better and better!

Flyte

I would never be able to see the small numbers on the thermostat. I was given a magnifying glass by a co-worker that I carry around in my purse but I dont thing that would be any help for me, either.

Pat

I like it cooler at night when I’m sleeping, too. I hope your landlord takes care of those icy areas. It is important for him to protect his tenants and I don’t want either of you to get a broken bone from his negligence! (((hugs)))

JournalThoughts

Shi

You all have really been getting the snow up there. Makes hard to think about walking, so maybe by the time it’s gone, you’ll be stick free.

gray tabby

maybe you’ve reached a plateau in your recovery. keep at it and i bet you’ll start improving again soon. hope you get your thermostat programed soon. raymond has our’s programed to freeze me in summer and bake me in winter!! take care,

FredOtter

Wait ’til winter comes. Which is just after midnight. 1:08a EST I think.

Violet

Sounds like the port where the keyboard is plugged in might be going wonky. At work, my computer would lock up and do stupid things on me, and it’s been doing it ever since I got that wireless internet. One day, I decided for some reason to plug it into a different USB port and I haven’t had a problem since. Suggestion for the thermostat: The one in my office has three daily sections, but you can manipulate the start and stop times of each section. I hope yours is adjustable. Get a stool or something that’s the right height to sit on and run an extension cord to where the stat is and hook up a lamp so that you can light it. Hopefully, this will cut down on the frustration level enough that you can reprogram it. I wish I was more comfortable in frigid temperatures like that. If it isn’t at least 74, I’m freezing half to death!

Mezzo

Oh boy. Be careful on that ice! So not good. If you could have seen me doing the little “Twinkle Toes” walk up in CT a couple weeks ago you’d have laughed until you cried, but I sure didn’t want to be a “crash” victim because I’m not used to slippery slopes anymore. Love to you! ~M

Telynor

I’d be pretty upset with that landlord about the ice situation. I wonder if you pointed out that he’s the one legally responsible for any injuries would help?

rapson Hussein michigan

I think that the thermostat will ‘pop’ right off the wall. Just the programming part. The wired part will stay behind. then take it to a well lit table and sit down with the book/instuctions and play away with to your hearts content. It is easier and will bend to your will!!! I am women her you roar!!! You can do it. have fun…dan

Look in the instruction book and it will show you how to ‘pop’ it off. have fun…dan

Ghost of Gettysburg

I understand your problems with keeping the house temperature right. Fooling with the heat this time of year is annoying. I can’t get to sleep in a room that’s too warm. However, if I don’t turn the heat on at all this time of year, my room gets too cold for me to sleep. Unfortunately, the heater in my room is rather tempermental, and it seems like if I turn it on at all, the room endsup sweltering in about a half an hour. So, instead of trying to get to sleep, I end up spending most of the night wrestling with my heating unit, trying to get the temperature “just right.”

Please be careful on the snow and ice. Just remember what happened to me the last time I went ice skating….I fell right on my butt…. “Did anybody laugh at you?”..you ask… “No but the ice made some funny cracks!!!! That thermostat would drive me crazy. I just set mine manually, usually turning it off at night. You can get away with that here in AL. I get a chill just thinking about thewinters I spent in Western New York…..