Busy Days!

It's 6PM, dark as pitch, and I'm already in bed, where I've been much of the day. For the last two days I've felt like the beginnings of a cold and today I had no energy whatsoever.  So, I went to yoga, visited my mother; then, came home and went to bed for the afternoon......getting up at 4:30 to feed the ferals, have dinner and tuck myself in again.  I'm also doubling up on Vitamin C and sipping hot green tea with lemon and honey. Tomorrow has 100% chance of rain, so it may be more of the same for me!

I've fed the ferals all week since my neighbor, who began this, has been on vacation.  Other than it being cold, I continue to enjoy it.  It's nice to be out with them at the end of the day....quiet, peaceful and lots of kitty love.  Blackie is in-your-face loving.  By the time the car stops, she's trying to get inside!  Georgie wants me to come to him, but he's also very loving and likes the attention.  When he finishes his meal, he turns around and does a long, low stretch of the back legs and walks back to the corner (where he gets his second helping!).  It hasn't taken them long to train me well!!  I'm amazed at how many people stop and chat about the trio.....I thought I was the only one keeping and eye on them.  Many people thank us for looking after them, which is heartwarming. Since Joe has been looking out for them for a long time, I figured all of their questions and curiosity had been answered.

Well, the election is over and I almost survived it!  I'm amazed at people with such short memories and who vote against their own self-interests.....usually based on factors not related to the issues. The day after I was in Kroger and there was an older black man bagging groceries.  He was very pleasant and friendly, asking me how I was and so on.  I gave him my usual "fine" and then, for some unknown reason, said, "That's not really true.  I''m having a hard time coping the the election yesterday."  He said, "Mam, I've got three works for you......Forgive and ______!"  He left the last work blank for me to fill in, which I did.  We discussed it a bit and I left with the feeling that, in the overall scheme of things, it would have little impact on most of us.  It was when I got home that I realized that, with his experiences in life which were likely much more difficult than mine, if he could forgive and forget, then I should stop grousing and get on with things.  It was a short but meaningful encounter....and it did help me shake the disappointment and sadness I felt. 

I'm really enjoying my yoga classes and feel better to be doing it on a regular basis.  Haven't been walking as much, but I will as weather and time permit.  My last OLLI class for this session was De-Cluttering and Organizing your Home and Life"......which was taken mostly for motivational purposes. That didn't seem to work as all I've done is make lists but no real de-cluttering!  

Chris and I went into Savannah to hear Drs.Dean Ornish and Andrew Weil speak. They were in town as part of the Gulfstream Live Well. Be Well Program that I attended last year. They were as informative as one would expect and both very supportive of a plant based diet.  We then went to a new vegetarian restaurant within walking distance of the event.  It was jam packed, and the food was tasty.  Savannah has quite a few vegetarian restaurants from which to choose, which is unusual for this area.

My mother is doing better, which is always a relief.  Even tonight, when she was a little out of it, she wasn't in distress.  She has now had a string of days when she's been stronger and alert, even at the evening meal. Sometime ago I mentioned that because I offered to put together a spreadsheet of anyone having a relative at Bloom I somehow became the leader of the pack!!  All who know me know that isn't my thing, especially since there have been so many ups and downs there over the last year.  Because of the upheaval, the staff seemed so down and anxious that I suggested that some of us get together and treat all shifts to a meal.  No sooner than I sent an email to see if anyone was interested than I got this back in a flash...

Well-- food is something they get for free every day.  Also, we give to the Christmas Fund and that is certainly a way to show appreciation. Actually, I wish we could customize the fund because some caregivers are very deserving, and others are not. Call me sour grapes if you want, but I do not see why we should give an extra reward to those who are just doing their jobs, or worse yet, to those who are not doing their jobs.

I'm going to avoid tying that comment to political views (you can do it yourself!), but this lady has attended one meeting but has complained about everything......not actually wanting to do anything but wanting everything "customized" to her liking.  My prompt reply was " I assume that's a NO!"  She then backpedaled a bit saying she guessed we looked at it from different perspectives (we do, and I'm happy I'm not that mean spirited!).....ending with a smiley face!  I left it there. Yes, there were enough people very willing to chip in for the staff, though I did the leg-work.  Since many of the staff are from the Caribbean, we treated them to Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas and Slaw, from a Caribbean restaurant owned by one of the worker's dad.  They were surprised and pleased that we would do that for them.  They were able to all sit down together and have a leisurely meal, rather than eating on their break (and, no, Bloom does not feed them!). I was happy that we did it.  That was yesterday (Thursday) and the Thanksgiving celebration at Bloom was the day before.  So, I'm hoping things will settle a bit, but that isn't likely with the holidays coming up.

! confess to not even wanting to think about the holidays!  The Christmas tree is usually up the weekend after Thanksgiving, so if I'm going to do anything, I'd better muster the energy soon!  But, lets take things one at a time.....here's wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!