We did end up finishing everything for Tuesday when the movers came to put my life into storage. Then my Mom’s wonderful housecleaner came in and did wonders for my place. Seriously she’s never looked so good. If you are in the Middletown, Franklin, Monroe, Lebanon and West Chester/Liberty Twp. area and are looking for a housecleaner, I have one to recommend. I plan on employing her in my new place to come do some regular cleaning, as while I will be able to do light cleaning, heavier cleaning might always be out of reach for me.
Getting everything done nearly killed my parents and throw in a dead car battery for my Mom (Thanks Scott for the jump!) and it was a strangely stressful and painful day for all three of us. I now know I pushed a little too hard for about 5 days straight, and I have been paying for it in spades in the latter half of this week with increased nerve pain, more muscle spasms, and general exhaustion and tiredness. Wednesday I ended up sleeping/resting most of the day. I have also been advised by my nurse that I need to get a better muscle relaxer, as the one I am on is not cutting it anymore. The Gabapentin is still doing a good job for me though.
Thursday was a busy day, with both my weekly PT visit and my weekly OT visit. I will be transitioning towards the end of this month to outpatient OT/PT and then I know the real work of getting back to life/work will begin. Mom and I also got out for some hair therapy, brunch and yarn therapy time, since we have Haggis (what I am calling my soon to be Niece/Nephew) to knit for. Dad should be proud, I only bought three skeins of yarn for the project that calls for something specific, and I got out of there for under $30. My yarn/knitting/crochet friends know how rare that is. Not going to say exactly what that project is, but enjoy this picture of Marty being my knitting buddy anyway.
That brings me to the topic at hand. The cats. Marty and Lorraine are settling in well, and Dixie and Lorraine in particular are becoming fast friends, much to all of our joy and consternation. We have mostly figured out the food situation, everyone is getting enough food, Dixie can’t access the wet food which gave her some loose poop, but it is a communal kibble free for all right now. This understandably not the best situation, but it is hard to resolve as Dixie has been a “free” grazer for her entire life. When I retreat to my bedroom, we often have a “slumber party” where I end up with all three of them snoozing on the bed. Keeping the peace is not about them.
I love my Father, I really do. He is the sweetest, most caring and hard worker I know. However, he really does not like cats. My Mom is better about the cats, she doesn’t like them getting up on things. Now admittedly, I could have done a better job of training them to stay off certain surfaces like counters, tables and other high places. The problem is if you yell at the cats, it can often make things worse, and that is when you end up with broken things. My Mom and I try to tell my Dad to let it go when they get up on certain surfaces, but he has a really hard time with that. Throw in the fact that his Dixie is becoming fast friends with Marty and Lorraine, and is in my room during the evenings when he is home for slumber parties, and well, tonight it boiled over a little bit. I’m doing my best to calmly redirect them, but I also don’t want to give them treats to get down, because well, cats are too damn smart, especially my two. Lorraine comes when she is called, so that works about 95% of the time, but Marty is a stubborn ass. I can only hope that as we are here longer they will lose interest in getting up on these high surfaces. I also now know what I have to look forward to as my new place will not have cabinets to the ceiling.
That off my chest, I did catch the cutest family portrait of my two babies one evening this week, so just feast your eyes on this. It will probably make the Holiday Card.
Today I finally had the energy and the time to take care of some of the final things that came from my condo. I also needed to figure out a better system for my paperwork (which is MASSIVE) and generally police my clutter. I also have received a lot of inspirational cards, and various things and I wanted to add a touch of personality to my room so I made myself a positivity wall. It’s full on teenager, but I am living at home with my parents the next 8-9 months. I might be in my new place by the holidays. I have a calendar (I love calendars at a glance) with various Hawaiian scenes, and lots of awesome flair and positive messages from my circle and things I need to remember. More cards are welcome so pm me if you want to send something.
I also cleared off the clutter and added some nice little figurines and some pictures. One of myself and my maternal grandfather when I was about 6 months old, and one of my sister and myself on her wedding day. I also put out my essential oil diffuser, that cycles through lights as a sort of night-light, as I don’t like burning candles around the cats, and all of my wax melters are packed and in storage. I hope by putting in essential oils like chamomile and “Let it Go” helps change the vibe around here a bit. Maybe I should invest in a salt lamp as well.
More later…
Bratschetech Baroque 