Between A Rock And A Hard Place...

Much has been happening at chez moi...I've been on the Internet viewing a few properties, on the phone making appointments with contractors, and busily having choir rehearsals. I also saw a long-time friend from my college days who now lives in London. It was wonderful to see and catch up with him in person.You can visit his blog here.

From preliminary research, some work would still need to be done in a newer abode and the current one won't fetch much. I'll be lucky to get what I paid for it. This is largely due to the fact that the property has been de-valued due to a previous sinkhole problem and because the real estate market here is still weak. I am on a tight budget and as someone effectively retired, I do not want a mortgage hanging over my head. In my favour, I do have excellent credit.

All that said, I am trying to determine whether it is do-able to modify my present flat or keep looking for a newer home. I did speak with an area agency regarding grant funding but they had several people wait listed and their limited funding has already been spent.

I do have photos for several posts in Iphoto if I can figure out how to transfer them to my desk top, I can post them. At this moment, I wishing I had replaced the old windows in this flat as I can unfortunately here a conversation taking place outside, and yes, all of my windows are closed.

Until Next Time...

Up, Down And All Around...

Upon reflection, I realise that I've spent an inordinate amount of time in the last few weeks waiting. Whether it is catching the bus, sitting in my chair on an electronic bus ramp that refuses to come down within a stone's throw of my door, killing time at hospital after my appointments, or waiting out the hour's pick up window for our local para transit service, waiting has sometimes taken center stage in my days.

You might easily assume that waiting is a bore, but I've rediscovered the luxury of reading the daily newspaper, slipping into a new detective series or journaling about things that might otherwise escape my attention. Having spent the better part of two years blogging, the old habit of putting pen to paper has resurrected itself more easily than originally anticipated, as has the much-lamented lost art of conversation.

I've found myself chatting up a diverse group of drivers, including two who were aghast to learn that I am older than I look apparently, and a self-described New Yorican who appreciated having another Spanish speaker aboard. A chance meeting with a retired phlebotomist led to the discovery that my latest blood draw, which left two large and ugly bruises, was a botched job.

My archival work continues, albeit, more slowly than I would prefer due to sheer volume, but the librarian and archivist are thus far pleased and I enjoy what I am learning. Apart from this, I'm still looking for more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors before the sweltering heat of summer descends. The pool here is under repair, so my regular swimming has stopped for the time being.

The felines haven't acquired any new skills or irksome habits; they appear, however, to have perfected the art of sleeping. If only my rest could be so peaceful.

Until Next Time...

Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back...

Several of you have enquired how I am doing since I've not blogged recently. While I was initially optimistic regarding calming down my low back and quite ready to resume life sans PT, it appears that my body has other plans, so that is continuing for now. Since sitting for extended periods aggravates this particular problem, blogging and other forms of writing have been curtailed, with my apologies. I was also busy during Rosh Hashanah and will be again during Yom Kippur.

The massage therapist is booked for tomorrow morning and I remain convinced that all will once again be well. The last episode of this kind was three years ago and I was walking rather than wheeling which apparently makes a difference.I know that the H-Wave, stretching and other things are helping, just not as rapidly as expected.

I appreciate your visits and comments as well as the good wishes and will get to each as I am able.

Until Next Time...

Summertime But The Livin' Ain't Easy...

It has been both rainy and hot here the last few days. It was so ugly that a planned outing to see fourth of July fireworks was cancelled. Each of us opted to stay home and dry, so my evening was spent returning telephone calls and watching three very annoyed felines hide as bottle rockets were set aloft by kids in the adjacent neighbourhood.

The updating of my CV and cover letters was stymied by several small power surges and outages for the electrics and computer. I'll get to that after the morning medical appointment tomorrow. I'm to have the first of a two-part procedure to check the thyroid for a growth or tumor. This involves taking an iodine pill that should reveal on x-ray whether anything is amiss, and doing a follow up x-ray on Thursday morning for comparison. If anyone has had this done, I'm wondering whether one should present with an empty stomach and how soon after the pill one can eat?

Apart from these, I've several job-related appointments to set up and some research to do for a bibliography. Like other bloggers, I cannot believe it is July. Time is flying at warp speed, it seems. Life is getting faster just as I've had to slow down a bit.

That said, I'm looking for some decent summer reads. Someone suggested a tome by Thom Hartmann entitled, "Screwed: The Undeclared War against the Middle Class...and What We Can Do About It."

I haven't had time to check out reviews, but unless this book promises a cure for my growing concern and pessimism, I think I'll indulge in something a wee bit lighter, for now at least.

You can expect to see more poems and esseys here, along with a couple of film reviews in the coming days.

Until Next Time...

And, What A Month It's Been...

Photo by M. Crane, 2008. Published with permission.
Text by E, July 4, 2009.

It's hard to believe that almost a month has passed since my last entry. I have been busy and on the rare occasion I made it to the beach, the digital camera somehow missed the mad rush out the door. This is another of a collection of photos taken by a friend last fall.

We've alternately sweltered in humidity and been deluged with recent rains...Today is dry and would be beautiful but for the heat. I've been doing marathon cleaning and re-organizing in the flat with the help of another generous friend. Happily, all of the art and photos ensconsed in wrapping since I resumed residency following sinkhole repairs in 2007, now hang smartly throughout my home. My friend also made a gift of bookcases she cut, put together and painted, allowing me a place for boxed books and other items that previously graced one of two closets in this flat.

I should point out that I am a minimalist by nature, routinely sorting through and donating what I no longer use. As of this post, two loads have gone out the door and I am in the process of figuring out what else to find a new home for. My television and old car are history, as are a large bag of books and a host of miscellany.

This clean out also unearthed complicated feelings as I also unpacked things that once belonged to my mother and grandmother. These I rarely use because most entertaining nowadays is outside the home and far less formal than in generations past. I'm still working out the issue of "too much stuff."

Amongst various things, I found my mother's Pentax. Operated by battery rather than manually, the camera was in sad shape as the battery had corroded sometime ago, rendering the camera beyond salvage. I'll never know what the last photos she snapped contain...another of life's little mysteries. Its case, a supple, felt-lined pouch, has been washed and for the time being, contains my digital. The difference in size and weight between the two cameras is striking testimony to recent advances in photography.

As I prepare for the arrival of my new chair and ramps, the furniture in the front of the flat has been re-configured, albeit minimally. I'll see what more needs to go as events unfold. In the interim, I'm due to hopefully finish occupational therapy for the wrist and arm tendinitis brought on by rolling around in a much heavier folding manual. Dubbed Bertha Butt, the wide, clunky and heavy chair has nonetheless provided some memorable adventures, which I'll save for future posting. The new chair has already earned the moniker Godot, referencing the illusive character in Samuel Becket's play, Waiting for Godot. I'm getting good at waiting...to my eternal chagrin. Meantime, a trip to the land of the "governator" remains to be sorted.

The four-legged creatures who deign my occupancy of their space have been a bit rambunctious, running through things headed for charity, observing what appears confusing from afar, and generally giving me quizzical looks about the invasion of their favourite hiding places, the closets and cabinets. They're not entirely certain this spree of mine is a good thing. They are far more enamored of my new blue specs, another recent acquisition.

Like Baino, I headed for a decent discounter, thinking about her blog entry concerning outrageous cost all the while. Finding nothing eye-catching in red, I spied the blue specs with sparkly studs and the deal was done. My heart only flipped once over the bill as a second pair in matte black and polarised shades were also included.

Photos will follow as time permits. It's hard to believe that another July fourth holiday is half over. At this juncture in history and in this time of globalisation, I wonder whether independence, both individual and collective, means to present generations what it did to America's founders?

Until Next Time...