My Great Big Fabric Stash and the Great Declutter

Our plan is to get our "Rec Room" emptied out so that we can pull up the carpet and replace the ceiling tiles. I helped install both of those items 47 years ago so they are very very long overdue for replacing! There is a small living area that Alicia is trying to use as a home learning space for the virtual university classes she is taking. We use down there but most of the room is filled with storage tubs, a whole lot of Christmas stuff, art supplies and hobby materials and lots and lots of books and magazines that were left in the rec room. 

I am having a lot of trouble moving around and still can't bend or pick up a lot of things so I need a lot of help and everything takes much longer than I want it to. The stairs alone are hard to navigate. We will persevere and get this done! We are doing a bit in all the areas of the basement but ultimately the rec room is our target.

 We are taking decluttering very seriously at our house, and in particular, we are focusing on our basement. It is more difficult than it sounds. 

The backstory is that I moved into this very house with my mom when I was only 16 and raised my own kids in this house too.

Basically, I have a lifetime of living in this house, and I have a mountain of my stuff to prove it. I still have some of my mom's furniture, dishware, linens and other belongings here even though she has been gone 43 years now. My Grandmother moved in with my mom and me when I was 16 because she was too ill to live independently. She brought her furniture with her. Bob and I got married when I was 21, and he moved in with the contents of his apartment.  This was followed over the years by adding even more things inherited from my dad and some from Bob's parents. Next, we still have the many items of memorabilia that belong to our oldest two children. Alicia and Emily have all their belongings here too. I think Bob and I both have issues parting with belongings, and at the same time, we enjoy collections, and we all seem to have a lot of hobbies, that require supplies.

I often don't feel like it is my stuff to deal with. It wasn't originally my belongings, so it feels wrong to get rid of or make decisions about those items. We have made LOTS of attempts to clean it out, but I think this just might be the time we are successful. We really need more living space. Like many other families, Covid has really caused us to re-examine how we use our space. What do we actually want to do in our home and yard? We need to make changes. And for me? I really need to stop living in the past. Even if I don't feel a sense of ownership over a lot of the stuff in this house, most of it is indeed my responsibility. It is our home. It is where we want to live a good life instead of a place to simply warehouse our stuff. I want to be able to enjoy and use our treasured belongings and to be able to get at the items we do keep. We also have quite an amazing collection of inherited stuff in our cottage. Still, somehow we have done a better job keeping that place under control.

Our plan is to get our "Rec Room" emptied out so that we can pull up the carpet and replace the ceiling tiles. I helped install both of those items 47 years ago, so they are very, very long overdue for replacing! There is a small living area down there that Alicia is trying to use as a home learning space for the virtual university classes she is taking. Unfortunately, most of the room is filled with storage tubs, a lot of Christmas stuff, art supplies and hobby materials and lots, and lots of books and magazines left in the rec room. 

I am having a lot of trouble moving around and still can't bend or pick up many things, so I need a lot of help, and everything takes much longer than I want it to. The stairs alone are hard to navigate and pretty exhausting. We will persevere and get this done! We are doing a bit in all the different areas in the basement, but ultimately, the rec room is our target

One of my main projects for this week is to gather my fabric and sewing supplies all into one place so that I can think through what to do with it all. Trust me, there is a lot of material and supplies. Mainly, I want to sew it into finished projects. lol  Probably not the best use of my time, though! 

Bob and I plan to set up the dining room table with my sewing machine and serger on Monday and see how it goes. I'm not sure how my leg or back will do with sewing until I try, so I will begin with a handful of small projects. I will take some pictures as I go. 

I have another appointment with my Orthopedic Surgeon in the morning so stay tuned for an update about my knee and hip this week.

Too Much Stress, Updates and some Whining

 Hello Friends! 

I have been busy lying low for the past couple of months. I must admit that I kind of went into a tailspin and just reached a point where my emotional and physical reserves reached a breaking point. The name of this blog, Leading A Healthy Life, has felt more than a little ironic lately.

 The injury to my hip on December 22 was very traumatic, but it was only the last straw. 

 I thought I could keep busy at home post hip dislocation, and I was going to try and use that time at home in some constructive way and hoped to share my projects here. I really found it difficult to do anything. I couldn't even sit in a regular chair or at a table. I was either lying flat on my back in bed or in a raised recliner. I wasn't in a ton of pain, but I was really uncomfortable all the time, and because of wearing that hip brace 24 hours a day, even at night, I was pretty sleep-deprived. It seems that I want to roll over a lot, and you can't in a contraption like that brace. I didn't like being dependent on my husband and daughters for many basic things, such as washing my hair and dressing. One of the most irritating things is that I seem to always be dropping stuff, and I need a lot of help picking all those things up. 

I watched a lot of TV and YouTube. Bob got us a new  TV while I was in the hospital, It is a new smart one for my side of the bed, and I watched for hours. There was nowhere to walk to, no exercises I was allowed to do, no meaningful work I could do, and no friends to visit due to covid restrictions. I haven't even seen my son and grandkids in almost 8 months, and they live only a half-hour away from me. My eldest daughter is a province away, and there are many quarantine restrictions about crossing the provincial borders, so I have not seen her in almost a year.

 There have been a lot of health issues and other stresses going on for our family in the past year and it has really been getting to me. I know that so many people have it worse than us, and we do keep those who are suffering and have lost loved ones and their homes and jobs in our prayers and thoughts. I am indeed very grateful for a loving family and good care, and lots of available resources. 

 I had 2 minor surgeries this past year - one for a large painful cyst, a lipoma, in my back and another procedure to remove a very large bleeding precancerous growth in my colon and I had to deal with anemia related to that condition. The followups are all looking great. 

One daughter was supposed to have her gallbladder out and was frequently in a lot of pain. Still, the surgery was put on hold from November due to hospital closures until a few weeks ago. She had surgery 2 weeks ago and is still uncomfortable but recovering slowly.

The other daughter had a severe shoulder injury due to a workplace injury. After a lot of difficulties, she was finally diagnosed correctly, but her surgery was also delayed. She eventually had the surgery but will be left with permanent limitations in her range of motion. She went back to university (zoom classes) because she will need to find a new occupation.

 I was supposed to have a knee replacement in January, but that will be on hold for a while until I am doing better with my hip recovery. I don't have a tentative date yet, but it will happen. They need to catch up with covid related delays in elective surgeries and any further covid shutdowns with the hospitals.  

Work has been horrifically difficult this past year. Covid 19 has hit nursing homes especially hard. When you are a recreation person, you are the substitute for friends and family while still being part of the health care team. We try to bring some comfort during these heartbreaking times that are filled with so much fear and loss, and loneliness. Many of our people suffer from dementia and can't understand all that is happening but most certainly are aware of the changes and anxiety around them. We heard about staff dying from covid in other facilities just a few miles from us, and we worried about what is in store for us.  In many ways it is good to not be at work during Covid but I really do miss it. I miss planning activities that are helpful for people and I miss the residents and  my many wonderful co-workers. I know everyone is well cared for but it is hard to shake the feeling that I ought to be there doing my part. It is very hard to putting my own recovery first even though there is no way I physically would be a help at work. I keep telling myself it is like the airplanes. Grab that' oxygen mask first or you can't help other people.  Self care is complicated sometimes. 

One significant stressor has been a rental property we own. We have a 2-bedroom house I inherited from my dad that I rent out as an important part of my income. That went very bad to this past year when the Government made it impossible to kick tenants out during Covid or charge any overdue fees. The tenants just stopped paying rent. They did a tremendous amount of damage to the house, such as breaking doors and door frames, dog feces everywhere, gouged walls, cement poured down drains ruining the plumbing.. you get the idea. It has taken us almost all of the past 3 months to get it fit to rent out again. I couldn't help with repairs and cleaning because of my hip, and I was frustrated and angry beyond belief. There we were trying to deal with the financial fallout happening to our family. I can't track her down to collect any of the money she owes me. I was notified just yesterday by the government-run water utility company that they also can't track down the tenant. Therefore they are legally allowed to tack her water utility bill of over $1500 onto my property taxes. It will be payable in full with my billing next month. I sat there stunned and yelled at the letter, "That is just not fair! I am not a big corporation... just someone with their dad's house!"

Okay, My Whining is Over, for the moment anyway.

The update is:

• I am now 2 weeks out of the hated brace, and I started physiotherapy 3 days ago. I like my new physiotherapist and think she is just right for my recovery needs. 
• The rental house has new tenants as of 2 weeks ago, so that chapter is over.  
• Our daughters are both recovering well. 
•  I have lost some weight and feel pretty happy about that, and I really enjoy wearing some different-sized clothing.
• I got the first dose of the Covid 19 vaccine- AstraZeneca, and the second will be in June. Bob will get his vaccination in a week.
• The city pools finally opened up 14 days ago. I got into an arthritis aquatic group class with a max of 10 people located in a very big pool with a lot of room to distance. I can't do many of the exercises, and Di, our fearless leader, keeps her eye on me. It feels wonderful to walk and move in the water,
• I hope to be back at work on modified duty in a few weeks, so hopefully, that goes well. My supervisor is sounding supportive and happy about my return.

And People .. it is Spring! The time for new beginnings! 

Making Marmalade the Victorian Way

 My daughter Alicia and I made Marmalade! Well, maybe mainly Alicia, but I helped. We have talked about making marmalade since the summer. Alicia has never made any, and I have not made any in at least 20 years.

Alicia really enjoys a YouTube Channel called the Victorian Way. It is from a British Heritage site with cooking videos where they present short demonstrations of Victorian cooking by reenacting the preparation of various authentic dishes. It is kind of like Downton Abbey meets Master Chef Challenge. We love the cook, Mrs. Avis Crocombe, who is based on the real cook that worked at the estate in the 1880s. Each of the cooking videos gives information in the text on the videos and in the notes under the video so a modern-day version can be made at home.

Their historical society put out a cookbook based on the authentic recipe collection of Mrs. Crocome, and we bought a copy for Alicia as a Christmas present this year.   

This book brings together Avis’s very own recipes and other Victorian favourites from the time – all specially adapted for modern cooks and modern kitchens.

Along with practical recipes and insights into the culinary world of the Victorians, you’ll find a vivid history of Avis’s life and times, and – for the first time – the full manuscript of Avis’s own handwritten recipe book.

“I hope this recipe book will bring as much joy to those who cook from it as I get from telling Mrs Crocombe’s story.” - Kathy Hipperson, Historical Interpreter

How to Cook: The Victorian Way with Mrs. Crocombe: Gray, Annie, Hann, Andrew: 9781910907429: Books - Amazon.ca

One of the book's recipes is for a Marmalade, and Alicia wanted to try it out. It was different than any marmalade I had ever tried to make before. For one thing, you start off by boiling whole oranges for an hour. 

Alicia did most of the work and all the peeling the citrus rinds, but I helped stir and boil down the sugar and fruit and helped with filling the little jars Alicia bought at the dollar store. I also helped with sampling the final product YUM.  I find that I can stand up just fine for short periods of time, but I get very tired and become more accident-prone. It is a good thing that Alicia was so committed to making Marmalade because it easily took an hour and a half. 

Here is a sample of one of their videos. - This one uses marmalade to make Marmalade Water Ice! Maybe we will try that this summer since we now know how to make the marmalade.

#When_Life_Gives_You_Lemons

#leading_a_health_life