Random Acts of "Kindness"

Archive for August, 2018

RANDOM THOUGHTS

DELAYED! Again — by choice or by circumstances. Does it matter? I usually have a rough plan for my day — nothing written, or impressive — just a rough plan. I used to be a night person, getting my energy in the late afternoon, accomplishing something in the evenings. That was long ago. Now I’m a morning person. If I don’t get something done before noon, it is a good bet that nothing of importance will be accomplished that day. If nothing else, I usually have an idea of what I’ll be making for supper.

Today — how can I describe today. GOD LAUGHED! I’m in the city, my husband is in the country. Original plan was that I was driving our granddaughter in to catch a plane to return to Florida. I was staying in the city to attend the Mind Body Spirit Expo over the weekend and return to the camper Monday or Tuesday. I didn’t feel good on Monday, accomplished NOTHING! Usually I have a couple of thought rambles lined up to publish. NOT NOW!

I tried to write yesterday. I had ONE sentence looking back at me from the screen. Mind BLANK. I was not impressed. Earlier in the day, I was reminded that I needed to write. I bumped into one of the pipes in the basement, hitting my head. The day before, I hit my head on the roof of the car. These are usually indications that I’m being reminded to write, share experiences.

Today, I stumbled across a few of the stories I had written for Journey With Me, I was IMPRESSED.

Back to my day. It is cooler, I planned to make cat fish in the oven. I planned to go shopping for food. My husband was going to travel with our middle daughter to our youngest daughter’s house. Our family had gathered at our camper for a weeks vacation and our daughter was taking advantage of time with her father. Since I was staying in the city for a few more days, I needed more food.

My husband phoned. He decided he needed a day to rest. Since Friday, he had been busy, traveling around the area — looking for the Bison in Natchusa, visiting Castle Rock and some of the other parks. Hiking opportunities. Because of my knees, we hadn’t visited them this year. If I was feeling better, he thought I should come out to the camper tomorrow.

Plans changed. No sense to go shopping if I wasn’t staying in town. I had made chicken and dumpling yesterday. There was enough left for today. Sitting at the table, talking to my husband, my watch came off my arm. The band broke! “Is someone trying to tell me something?”

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WOBBLE, WOBBLE

I think WOBBLE WOBBLE should be my new nick name. I feel like a turkey. When ever my husband is walking behind me, I hear him saying: “Wobble. Wobble.” He means I’m rocking from side to side in my walk. I am overweight! Not extremely, just maybe 30 to 40 pounds. That doesn’t necessarily account for my walking. Knee Problems — that is the main cause. My husband said that I am walking too stiff legged, like a soldier, not bending my knees. Its not that I’m not trying to lose weight, it just isn’t happening!

Our youngest daughter has decided to try to walk 9000 steps a day and do 30 days of yoga. My middle daughter decided to join her in the quest. Since I hurt my hamstring, walking that many steps is more than I can safely do. Forget 30 days of yoga. One, I don’t have access to the internet at the camper. Two, if I got down onto the floor, it would be hard to get back up. Three, many of the poses that I could do in my younger days are WAY PAST my abilities now!

My older daughter suggested that instead I do 30 days of Tia Chi, and 30 days of A MORNING CUP OF YOGA. Tia Chi is easy on my body and although I have altered the form since I first learned it, it is gentle stretches for my body. My knees don’t like it very much. I bought the yoga book many years ago. It is also gentle stretches, doesn’t get down on the floor and incorporates some hamstring exercises that I need. The first time I did it, I was too enthusiastic and did a leg exercise that my knees REALLY objected to.

I thought exercise in the water would be good for my body. And it is EXCEPT when because I’m in the water I do too much. I have learned that If I use the weights and the noodles, I am putting less pressure on my knees. I have also learned that the water has to be warmer for my knees. In days gone by, cooler water wasn’t a problem for me. Whether those days are gone for good or just temporarily taking a vacation — time will tell.

I will admit that besides walking less, I have been more careful riding on the scooter. I don’t want to take a chance that I will put my foot down wrong and do more damage. Recently I took our car out for a longer drive — more than 25 miles. I had been in the pool in cooler water and my knee was YELLING! If I used the automatic pilot, my knee HURT! If I used pressure on the gas pedal instead, my knee although still hurting wasn’t YELLING!

Our grand daughter is coming to the country for a visit. I will need to drive her back to the city in order to catch a plane. She will be able to drive if my knee is really yelling, but I’LL BE ABLE TO SAFELY DO IT too!

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SHAVED

I’ll admit that I knew better. I knew if you are using a mandolin for slicing vegetables, it was VERY IMPORTANT to use the food guard. I knew my daughter had severely cut her finger because she didn’t use the guard. I TRIED! I really did. I couldn’t fit the potato into the guard. I couldn’t make it stay attached. I thought if I was VERY CAREFUL I would be able to safely slice the potatoes. I WAS WRONG!

The first thing that alerted me to the problem was BLOOD! LOTS OF BLOOD! I couldn’t make it stop. I wound a paper towel around my finger and used a rubberband to keep it in place. That didn’t work very well. I tried to put a band aid on it. I raised my hand over my head and kept it there. I ran it under cold water. It kept bleeding. Finally my husband woke and came to my aid. We wrapped my finger in lots of gauze and tape.

Perhaps I should mention that I cut my right thumb, just under the tip. Do you know how often you use your thumb? Since I’m right handed, I use my right thumb a lot. It wasn’t very long before the bandage was completely soaked with blood. I wondered if I needed stitches to stop the bleeding. I finished cutting the potatoes manually and finished assembling the meal in the crock pot. I managed to keep any traces of blood out of the food.

My husband replaced the wrapping on my finger a second time. It almost stayed on for the rest of the day. It looked like my finger was wearing an armor. Since the cut was at the top, my husband wrapped the entire finger in bandaging. Doing dishes that evening, the wrapping fell off and the bleeding continued or started again. I thought I had a deep cut. I didn’t know that I had sliced off a layer.

I went to the store and bought more supplies. He wrapped my finger up again. This time I was more carefully and the armor stayed on until evening. This time when it came off, I found a bandage to cover it. Then I found a plastic glove to cover my whole hand. Thankfully the bleeding had stopped for the most part. I will admit that I replaced bandage and glove for the next few days. I went shopping for food and was careless. Not only did I forget bandaids, I forgot a plastic glove. I asked a woman sampling food if I could have one of hers. Thankfully she had one I could use.

That is when I learned I had shaved off a few layers of skin. We went to the camper and I wanted to go in the water. I had to keep the water out of the injured area. I tried a liquid bandage. IT WORKED!

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BITS AND PIECES

BITS AND PIECES

I have learned that it is helpful if I write myself notes. During the summer when we travel back and forth from the city to the country I never remember what supplies I have on hand at either place. I have to admit that I’m better at noting the food and supplies at the camper than at home. It helps for packing.

Since I’m determined to do more cooking at the camper this summer, I brought many of the spices that were called for in the recipes I planned to try. Finding a container to store the spices in and making TWO lists has been helpful. One list is in the container, the other travels with me. I also have to admit that spices hid, and I now have extras.

After the winter, I discovered that some changes I made during the last summer have skipped my memory. I brought painting supplies out to the camper, but it was only AFTER I bought new sketch books for my grandchildren that I found a container with colored pencils, water color pencils and sketch books hiding in a closet.

I recently pulled down a box that contained a cooking appliance that completely slipped my memory. I must have bought it when we traveled in the motor home. It is designed for cooking for two — omelets, steaks, sandwiches, even pizza. It not only has directions, cooking pans and a cook book. I must admit that it is repacked. Will I use it this year? Will I donate it? Good questions — no answers.

I remembered that we had a motorized air pump. I knew where it had rested, I didn’t know where it had moved. UNTIL I decided to pack afghans away in a tub. Surprise — the tub contained not only the missing pump but also the missing inflatable mattress.

When I moved a cookie sheet and a wooden cutting board that I use for cleaning fish, I wrote a note and put it on the frig. That was a few years ago. The note is still there but every Spring I look for the cookie sheet and find my note.

Our house is much bigger than the camper. Just think of all the things that are waiting to be discovered. It doesn’t help that over the years I have been involved in many crafts and have the supplies needed for each. Maybe this Fall and Winter I will explore the nooks and crannies in the house.

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