Independence in Everyday Ramblings

Carlo and I are back in Portland in the loaner apartment we are calling Alice.

Carlo is pretty traumatized by all this. He went missing for about three hours after coming out briefly to investigate the kitchen, the counter, up on the cabinets. I was sure he hadn’t gotten out but didn’t know where the heck he was, and he was not responding to any entreaties. I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to sleep not knowing his whereabouts.

But then he stuck his head out from behind the shower curtain. He had perched himself up there on the rim of the tub between the liner and the curtain. Smart guy. Now he is wedged in behind the big batch of pillows behind me on the futon pad Most Honorable and I carried over from my actual home apartment.

We drove up from Salem on this gorgeous spring day. As I sit here, I can hear robins in the park and look at the old tennis court across the street. The crabapples framing my view are half in bloom and half leafed out.

Alice is light and airy and on the second floor. We missed the really hot day yesterday. Today it hit 83˚ or so but there was a slight breeze. It is clouding over tomorrow. This was only a preview of coming attractions later as we move towards summer.

What we did do yesterday was a deep dive into state-of-the-art technology. I had upgraded to unlimited data on my phone plan. It was no big deal and we tested out the hot spot when we were up earlier in the week. But looking at the limits on that, which are 20 GB before they slow you down, and I teach 7 classes a week and record and upload two of them, we calculated that I would use that up.

Of course, depending on how long I am here and not in “Fred”, which is my home that I have lived in over 13 years. But I was fretting, so we investigated further and after a long-convoluted process we came back to Most Honorable’s house yesterday with a T-Mobile 5G Home Internet device.

The fact that the store in Salem had one in stock, available and able to work in the loaner apartment is a bit of a miracle. It is really cool. Although we managed to stress a bit about the set-up today, it is truly easy. The important thing is to have line of site with the nearest cell tower. It cost $50 a month and is truly unlimited and (don’t tell anyone), the fastest internet I have ever used. I don’t know if it will work in Fred because I don’t have a south facing window, but it is a sweet deal compared to what I am currently paying.

They do limit how many people can use it based on who else is using the cell tower and for what. Most Honorable is going to investigate availability for his place. Verison has the same thing but not here.

The manager is going to pay for this. And also reimburse me for some of the staples in my refrigerator. The Project Manager admitted that she didn’t know they were going to power down the refrigerator.

I am thrilled to be back in Portland and available to do my things. I am also thrilled that Carlo is no longer sequestered in the basement bedroom with two curious felines coming by to call at random intervals. Wish him a good night and a less stressful morning, will you? It has not been a lot of fun for him. Other than the apartment itself everything in here is familiar to him so I hope it will only take a couple of days to acclimate.

He has his own bedroom and bathroom here. We are sharing the walk-in closet.

The workmen in Fred are doing a good job of isolating the dust and disruption to the construction area. There is just a thin piece of plastic now between the kitchen area and the outside. It is unnerving.

I think Kes and Most Honorable were a little sad to see us go. We enjoyed hanging out, planning dinner and I helped Kes pick out some annuals at a garden center and get some potted up. Those are her daffodils up top. Most Honorable says he thinks the dandelions knew I was gone and were having a party in the back lawn.

We are all though, beginning to be in that corridor where independence is such a precious commodity, holding on as we can.

Maybe tomorrow, I can get down to my own plot and see how the few things I had in are getting on. There is much to look forward to.

Last updated April 29, 2023