I did something major for me, which will probably be petty for others. But I ordered, on line, a seat for my shower. This is part of the journey of my acceptance of disability. It arrived ready to be assembled with very clear instructions and nuts and bolts and warnings about making it secure. Well, I sat down and assembled it. And installed it in my shower/bath. I mentioned to Daughter what I had done and she said: It's really hard to wash long hair like yours, you had a choice, cut all your hair off or make washing it more comfortable. I'm the only old woman I know with long hair. We all have our oddities and peculiarities.
After a long sojourn from him, I picked up a Michael Connolly Bosch from our community library and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy his writing and plot and character development. I see that they have made a streaming series out of his books on Amazon, but I'm not sure I want to see it. I have a visual image in my head of how he is and don't want that destroyed. Sometimes we need books that are fairly frivolous and utterly distracting. I will try and sort out the problem with my page reading lists as they're not working on here for some reason.
I am 34 years sober today which is really nearly half my life without the "divil drink". I think I would be long dead if I had continued my love affair with booze. I am so very grateful that all those years ago I found a better way of living my life without the self-destruct button.
Photograph is of Woody, a pink elephant, whom I treasure, given to me by Younger Daughter 33 years ago.
That looks like a very sturdy stool. Hubby has something similar. Good that you found a book you like at the library.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gigi - our community library is in our building and we all contribute to it on an honour basis.
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Every time they say they are improving the user interface or adding new features, they're not. I have used the new interface and it took a lot of getting used to, trying to find where they'd put the old features that I liked. For now I am back to the old interface but I guess that will be short-lived. I've watched Bosch on Prime Video and was not overly impressed, I'll try the book version. Hope the stool (congratulations on setting it up!) works well for you. I was a bit of a binge drinker in my youth but single parentdom cured me of that. These days I like to have an occasional drink, but it disturbs my sleep so I always weigh the consequences before I decide whether or not to have a drink.
ReplyDeleteThe books are quite clever, Annie, I binged on them many years ago and only recently got back into him again. Complex character and respectful of women.
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Congrats on the 34 years Impressing, and I'm happy you're still here.
ReplyDeleteAnd yay for shower stools. I'm going to install one when needed as well so as not to cut my long hair :)
You do not need my take on New Blogger but for others maybe. It's a big P.I.T.A. and needs an alomst total maeover to work. Labels don't work, photos don't work, everything takes double the number of clicks or scrools and double the time or more. UFF!
Thanks for all the work you've done on this for the rest of us Charlotte and your drawings and graphics make it easy to understand, the only adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is not applying here, unfortunately.
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34 years of not drinking is amazing to me! If you can quit smoking and drinking you can handle this "disability" thing. I have been thinking of your last post. Any small thing you can do for yourself is a plus...just like your shower stool. Why not for goodness sake? I am starting to simplify my housework. Not that I can't do it (kind of) but I don't want to anymore!xo
ReplyDeleteThank you Ain't. Yesterday I did curb pick up on groceries as a treat and I really saw the benefit as I could do two other things that day.
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I have braved New Blogger but it needs a LOT of work to be user friendly. Charlotte mentioned some of the issues but there are more.
ReplyDeleteI really resent the extra step to access blogs in my reading list too.
Woody is lovely.
Huge congratulations on giving up booze. Not easy, not easy at all.
I like your shower chair too. I have rather a lot of safety rails in my shower but the chair sits just outside it. So far.
All in stages EC, I knew I was ready to plunge and to stop fighting and making myself so exhausted. Thanks also for your comments on the New Blogger. Field research is much appreciated.
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Regarding your comment about visualizing characters in books - I have just finished a William Monk mystery by Anne Perry. I have decided he would look like the actor who plays "Poldark" He's quite dishy and it made the book much more interesting visualizing him in the part!
ReplyDeleteIf you have ever read Kinsey Milhone (Sue Grafton series), I am so happy they never filmed it. I see her so clearly.I think the only one that was perfect in my mind was Dalgliesh. He was exactly like how I pictured him in the books.
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Congratulations on your anniversary and the decision to buy the shower seat. I'm eyeing that for my husband. I remember how hard it was for me to make the decision to get a cane. After a brain surgery for something else, I and my doctors were surprised when I became more stable and could hang up the cane, but I remember how tough it was to make that decision in the first place. It won't be so hard the next time, I think.
ReplyDeleteI gave my cane a name which personalizes him in a weird way. Come on George, I say, walkies. He's a cutie, hand made by an artisan north of here and the absolutely perfect height.
DeleteAdjustment is hard always until it becomes the norm.
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You will feel much more secure using the chair. I tried the new Blogger once and tried to upload a video and it didn't work, so I reverted to the old and have been back.
ReplyDeleteI do, Andrew, all the energy I used standing and washing this mountain of hair is now used for other tasks. I haven't even tried the New Blogger but am agog with others' reports.
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I had such a seat at the old unit, with only a tub. Now I have a walk in shower! Decadence.
ReplyDeletePlease do try new blogger some more. Soon it will be all that's left. Don't worry about mistakes; we don't care. We just want to hear from you. Someone will explain away all the problems you tell us about.
Good points there Joanne. A walk-in wouldn't help me as I would still have to stand? Or maybe there's a built in seat?
DeleteYes, you're right. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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I have long hair too, although it's only just floating past my shoulders by a bit. I'm still able to shower and shampoo in a standing position though. I'm curious about the shower seats, how does one wash the bits that are being sat upon?
ReplyDeleteI have seen some of the Harry Bosch TV series and if you haven't read the books they're fine, but if you have read the books you may be disappointed a little as I was.
I laughed at the seat question River, I stand to wash the soft bits - the stool is only for when tired of standing and a rest is called for.
DeleteI think I'll definitely now avoid the Bosch series.
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PS congratulations on 34 years :)
ReplyDeleteThank you River, it's almost surreal.
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Congrats on 34 Years of Sobriety! I'm an old Woman with long Hair too, mine is in Dreadlocks so the Care of it is low maintenance. I have one Senior Friend with Hair down to past her Hips. I agree it's a rarity. The Senior Aides are something we had to get too and it makes life easier, since both The Man and I have taken Senior Falls and we want to remain Safe and Independently living in our Home.
ReplyDeleteWe can't be too safe in our old age Bohemian. I have many bars in my bathroom which is the site of many senior falls. Yes I know no others with long hair. I am an aberration. One of the reasons I hate short hair is I can't tie it back. I just can't abide hair around my face in any form.
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Well, whatever makes life easier, and if a shower seat helps, why not? My hair is now quite long after nearly six months without a haircut, and I must say I'm keen to have short hair again, it's so much easier to wash!
ReplyDeleteWoody is rather cute.
I agree on the ease of washing Nick. I am surprised you haven't gone for the pony tail look?
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I watched one episode of Bosch and didn't go back for the same reason -- the books have given me a better picture of Bosch in my own mind.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think his depth and self-reflection would not carry well to a film series, having not seen it that would be a mere supposition on my part.
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Congratulations on your 34th anniversary. Great achievement and a great example.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ramana.
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Keep us informed on how the shower seat works for you. Would be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteIt's a miracle, Gemma, it really frees up my energy for other task, before it took much of my "spoons" which I wrote about in the Spoon Theory Post.
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I think new blogger is fine; in some ways clearer than the old.
ReplyDeleteOh that's good to know, KeyReed, a positive report.
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Congrats on 34 years, I wish a family member could have done that.
ReplyDeleteWish we were close enough to chat.
I haven't moved to new blogger either, a friend did with some issues but not much.
I saw your comment on Andrew's blog about the Maritimes opening up to the other Maritime provinces, that would worry me too.
We are going (finally, not sure why it took so long) to mandatory masks next week for indoor spaces.
I am still shell shocked that masks weren't mandatory from the very beginning. It would have spared so much infection. I hear today that NS has been open to the US for a while so this latest wave is just a hairsbreadth away. Thanks for the congrats. It's a killer disease.
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Wisewebwoman, I was so moved by your prior blog that I really could not comment...having experienced similar situation in my childhood and into adulthood. Congrats on 34 years! I wish I could say that. It truly is wonderful. I too also am adjusting to what I can and can't do any longer after falling getting out of the shower in January & then going through all the broo-ha-ha of testing for breast cancer until just recently. Good ending to the latter: on a teeny pill to shrink the tumor. Not as bad as my first breast cancer 22 yrs. ago. Isn't this odd? It just popped in my head: nothing is as bad as the situation in Washington, D.C. I've been depressed for the past 3+ yrs. and it only becomes worse. Onward & upward. We are of the generation that has lived through some terrible times in this world. Hope your weekend is as lovely as you deserve.
ReplyDeleteIt maybe an old wive's tale thing Regina but they say the older we get the slower the cancer.
Deleteit is so hard to keep mental stability in the US, my friends down here are clinging by a thread, surrounded by horror.
Some of us up here are feeling the "crack" too so long in self-isolation only to have the Atlantic provinces now opening up to travel here there and everywhere. A second way is inevitable.
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Congrats on the very long sobriety!
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of that author, but I'll look for him.
Thank you SAW, if you like good crime investigative procedure books, he's excellent.
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Congratulations on your years of sobriety!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much E!
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