Catching Up Thoughts in 2020
- Oct. 8, 2020, 10:31 a.m.
- |
- Public
Easy listening music in the house today, filling up the corners and touching the ceiling with happy soft sound. The house has been roofed. Not without stress but it is finished. I had a new handyman take down the gutters my then handyman put up above, on the roof line over the side patio on two sides. We are back to a drip line roof. Mistakes like mine need to be corrected, not lived with. (It caused too much water falling into the gutters from the roof and splashing back on the shingles when we had rain.)
The old roof was terrible to take down; it required so much more replacement wood than anyone had imagined. There were a few cracks in the kitchen walls from the pounding above, and one in the ceiling, which have been repaired. Painted over, etc.
The new skylight in the living room had to be covered with a windshield film to prevent a glare from the FL sun that blinded on the one hand and would have faded the sofa fabric on the other hand. Now when the sun is mitigated on that part of the house, it causes it to be too dark, but with low lights on it’s comfy. I can see the sky through both skylights they installed. I like that. I miss being connected to the first drops of rain, however and, all in all, I wish I’d kept the ancient skylight in the living area. The skylight in my bath area is fine–I can see beautiful golden rain-tree tops and the sky through it.
Now we have found mold growing inside the laundry room where the stopped up pipes from a month or so ago, leaked before I realized it and that before caused that mold to grow. On Monday the new handyman will be here to take out that wall and the tubes from the washer and replace all of that area…can’t live with mold, especially in FL.
(You see why I needed to listen to soft and meaningless music this morning, I suppose?)
Otherwise all is well…a bit lonely after all these months at home for the most part and alone. Never before have I had a stretch of time like this, and I’m satisfied with my response but it does not mean I like the loneliness; it only means once more I have found ways to adapt to a monumental change in my life. That’s a good thing.
Last updated October 08, 2020
IpsoFacto ⋅ October 08, 2020
John is getting worse dementia-wise. I am in charge of every single details l of our lives. I can’t even let him go anywhere without me. It’s all very frustrating. I understand your loneliness except that I am alone together. Sigh.
Deleted user IpsoFacto ⋅ October 08, 2020
Oh I am so sorry! HUGS!
ODSago IpsoFacto ⋅ October 08, 2020 (edited October 08, 2020)
Edited
Hugs, truly. I wish we lived closer to each other but I do know that you have so many friends and that consoles me a bit after reading this. I do know about dementia...my dad and I traveled a bit down that road, as you might remember. I know that is harder, being alone together, than my situation, being alone when living alone. How do you refuel as each day ends?
Kristi1971 IpsoFacto ⋅ October 10, 2020
Being alone together...that is so typical with dementia. It's a hidden alone-ness, because most people will not think of you as alone. Big Hugs. I don't know if it helps, but those who are alone are not alone in their alone-ness. Again, big hugs, because no one can have too many hugs - even virtual ones.
Deleted user ⋅ October 08, 2020
We also miss physical contact very much. Such a strange world and as for our country...things are again very critical with a second wave of infections, full hospitals and people who die. If this will go on for two week we may get a second lockdown. We had one last March and that lasted three long months! HUGS!
Wranglingal ⋅ October 08, 2020
A lot going on in your home and music is a good company to hear often. My mother is starting to feel more isolated. Please reach out to others if needed! HUGS to you
noko ⋅ October 09, 2020
Wow, that is a lot of both disruption and decision making. We are all adapting but you also have the loneliness and challenges of an aging body to contend with. Did you see the interview with Louise Glück in the Times yesterday about receiving the Nobel? She talked about aging as bringing us something new to experience and write about as you are doing so well here.
Kristi1971 ⋅ October 10, 2020
Good for you on getting some things done! Those are important things, too! Big Hugs through the interwebs. :)
ODSago Kristi1971 ⋅ October 12, 2020
Thanks for the hugs and your insight, too. It is mostly the unraveling of life that seems to me to be excised when we give attention to a house or yard and that sort of unraveling. When life unravels...so hard to take it up and "fix" it, isn't it? At least the roof is solid now and the skylights are in and the mold in the laundry will be taken care of.... This pandemic leaves me thinking at times it won't every be unraveled.
Marg ⋅ October 10, 2020
DIY stuff in the home always seems to grow arms and legs doesn’t it? Success in life is all about adapting to what it throws at you I feel so you’ve done very well these last few months!
Oswego ⋅ October 10, 2020
You’ve done well coping with these monumental changes brought about by the pandemic. This entry is indicative of how much you are accomplishing.
Fortunately, given my solitary life, except for the ten years I was caregiving, I have been able to embrace the solitude and changed routines. In a sense, as I sort of jokingly tell others, I’ve been preparing all my life for this. :)
Serin ⋅ October 12, 2020
I'm really sorry that you've got that brightness problem with the skylight. I wonder if there's some way to add some kind of lever so you can screen or not according to your mood. Probably not worth the effort.
ODSago Serin ⋅ October 14, 2020
As far as I know it's just inside windshield glare screening or paper like bathroom windows have for privacy or something on the outside of the skylight. Currently, I'm going to try to live with this for a month to see if I can adjust to the semi-darkness when the sun isn't high.
Jinn ⋅ October 13, 2020
Wow, that is a lot of home improvement ! Those kind of projects stress me out. The cost, the noise and the mess . Ugh ! Kudos to you for getting through it and keeping your good humor !!
We had issues with our skylights too; mostly because they do not let in as much light as we had hoped ; we put in six large ones in various rooms but there are only a few small windows in this house and the skylights can’t work miracles.:-( They are better than how it was before.
I think we are all experiencing days, weeks, months unlike anything we have ever known. It’s a curious feeling ; everything is open and we could be going about ; trying to return to normal but yet the fear of getting sick looms too large to allow it . Home is a safe haven but it’s also a little like a cage sometimes :-(
ODSago Jinn ⋅ October 14, 2020
Yes...I so agree with the cage statement. I can't express enough how much I want to buy a new dress or eat in a restaurant or/and just wander in a crowd at ease, then there are art museums, music venues and workout sessions...and I sit here in these walls, have no reason to complain given my ease here but ...I'm going to start throwing away stuff I've kept for years but know my children won't want to save. I am of two minds--keep your sprits up, Pat and My Gosh, you are really bored, Pat!