Random 3 for February 23 – Caretakers, renovations, cooking

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Yesterday turned out to be a day full of emergencies so there are only 3 today.

Bless them – I walk at my local mall for exercise. During mid-day, there are small groups of handicapped people on a “mall outing.” Sometimes they get pizza but mostly they just walk around. They are mobile although there is the occasional wheelchair. Most they severely mentally challenged. They are ushered by one or two aides who manage them well. They don’t bother other mall goers and just do their thing. I am always amazed at the patience. This past week I saw one woman who had to be in her 40’s with the mental age of a small child climb onto a vibrating horse. This made her so happy. Most don’t have language skills. One man grunts loudly. At first it was frightening because he sounds like a bull in heat. I had to look around to see where it was coming from. Now it’s normal. My heart goes out to relatives of these folks who could not manage them 24/7 and the workers who give them outings. I have never seen a tantrum. Everyone is well behaved.

The itch – We are doing minor repairs to our home. It’s partly to keep it ready for sale just in case but you really have to do it to keep it in shape. As I was looking around, I got the urge to redecorate. Big time. Change out wall colors and all that. I’m working hard to save those urges in case we buy another home but this time of year it always rears its head!

Cooking – A friend that I haven’t seen in decades has started to post cooking videos. He has always been into cooking. I’m amused to see that we run along the same lines. I too like the latest technology and try new things – induction, convection, sous vide, etc. (Although I haven’t pulled the trigger on an air fryer yet.) Fun toys that make good food. I’m enjoying his podcasts. I enjoy them more than the usual self-help stuff.

So how was your week?

 

67 thoughts on “Random 3 for February 23 – Caretakers, renovations, cooking”

  2. I’ve always wondered about and admired the patience of these caregivers, whose work has to be very difficult at times. Much respect for them.
    I’ve been going through the same redecorating thoughts this winter. New family room furniture, area rugs, etc. My wife used yesterday if I was done now. I’m still trying to decide. I’m a fan of Wayfair..:)

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  3. Hi Kate, Always a huge wake-up call on the “Bless them.” A cooking friend sounds like a real and rare treat. We have foodie friends who are into sous vide and insta pots and so on. My week: privilege of being present at the birth of my grandson. All else pales in my life. A flurry of activity and company. Hope your emergencies resolved, Kate.

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  5. I never thought of the potential in a mall to provide a safe and stimulating environment for people with severe disabilities, but especially in winter months I’d think this to be very helpful. I am in agreement with you that the caregivers are amazingly patient, and very necessary components of family support.

    One of these times we’re going to read that you are really going to do it–move! But I will miss your pond. 🙂

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  7. My critique group meets at a place called Third Place Books. It has a large area outside the bookstore with food, tables, and meeting places that’s used for all kinds of things. We see a couple of handicapped adults in wheelchairs with their aides. It seems a very difficult job, and I can only say as you did, “Bless them.”

    I’m not a big fan of kitchen equipment. In fact, I probably go too far the other way. Everything I can do with a butcher knife, I do. I don’t have any fancy chopping and slicing machines, which means I can be slow. But the clean-up is fast, and I’m pretty good with a knife.

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  8. I went through many renovations and painting/papering jobs through the years and the mess and aftermath leaves me reluctant to embark on anything like that again though I know some of the rooms are looking tired. I have to hand it to the caretakers as well. We had a similar group used to go to Southland Mall near where I live. They were all well behaved, and kind of stuck to themselves … it is a job for people with a kind heart and much patience.

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  9. I get the urge to redecorate every once in a while, but my procrastination gene usually kicks in just in time. We have a powder room that has desperately needed new paint (it isn’t peeling, it’s just a dated color) for a few years. We hardly use the room ourselves so it’s easily ignored. I usually think about it again when we are planning to have guests over, and then there isn’t time… perfect.

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  13. The redecorating itch got me too. It started a few weeks ago when I bought new curtains for the livingroom. Yesterday I put a new picture over the couch. Now I don’t like the yellow wall color and want to paint it white. I also want to paint the kitchen. This seems to happen every spring.

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  14. Oh, decorating one thing can lead to another. Good luck on making a decision about what repairs and changes to make in case you sell. I am not creative with wall colors. When we had the inside repainted last year, I stuck to the same neutral colors…in case we ever sold. For now we are happy where we are but there are some apartments for 62 and up being built near us. We plan to at least look when they are finished.

    Good for you to be a mall walker. I fear I would want to stop and shop! I admire those who have patience with those who have limitations. Bless them!

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  15. We just “redecorated” our master bedroom by buying new sheets! It changed the look of the room with no fuss, no muss, no bother.

    We are going to “redo” the back deck by replacing the rope coils on top of the pilings with cones. Again, no fuss, no muss, no bother.

    A few weeks ago, we updated the front storm door (with screen panel on the top) with a new storm door (with screen panel on the top). There was a bit of fuss, muss, and bother . . . but BFF dealt with it. 😛

    I am glad that I have language skills. And that I am able to walk, talk, sing, bike, cook dinner, play Bridge, do the taxes, etc. I feel deep gratitude for being who I am where I am. That said, this past week was a tad TOO BUSY for me ~ but it was mostly “for fun” so I’ll let it go at that.

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  16. The thought of moving…and everything that I would have to do to sell my house is so overwhelming, that I do nothing! Perhaps if I knew where I’d like to move and what I want to move too, I would be more motivated. Good luck to you!

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    • That’s the crux of the problem. My advice to anyone is to move to a place you can comfortably age in without needing a lot of help when you are young enough. The concept of the process is overwhelming as is making the final decision on a house. I’d love to move closer to the shore but the idea of researching communities is too much.

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  17. This time of year, I always get the urge to purge. I do donate every month, but as spring approaches I really get the itch. It just feels good, doesn’t it? Another rainy week ahead for us. I hope spring isn’t as wet as winter has been. We can’t seem to dry out.

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  18. There are groups like that here, too–some are teens from the local high school. Their educators take them to the store in order to teach life skills like using the self-check out.

    A few of my neighbors are adults with Down’s syndrome. There’s a bus that picks them up daily and takes them to jobs such as washing cars for various dealerships.

    It’s much more progressive than when I was a kid and anyone non neurotypical was locked away.

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    • When I went to school there was one boy who had mental challenges. He repeated each grade twice but I only remember one nun who reached out to him at his own level. He had a terrible stutter and she helped him with that. We have come a long way but have a long way to go.

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  19. My niece teaches precious angels and takes them on mall outings. Her love, patience and dedication to her students is truly a special gift. My heart also goes out to the families of these angels. We,too, are planning a move within the next 8-10 months and sometimes it is hard to resist the urge to redecorate especially when I am shopping with my BFF who IS currently redecorating. She has great taste, finds bargains and is very helpful with advice. I just hate to buy something as simple as a bedspread that may not look good in the next home. I am in the process of decluttering so that helps take my mind off adding more to the pile of things I need to get rid of!

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  20. I have an air fryer – a requested wish from Christmas, 2018. I adore French fries, so I was excited to have this new gadget! I’ve used it 3 – okay, maybe 4 – time since I got it. While the fries are good, the only ones that taste really yummy are the Arby’s brand of curly fries. I’m also not thrilled that it takes about 25 minutes from pre-heat until a batch of fries is done. Like a crockpot, if you remove the cooking pan to ‘stir’ things like you do with a crockpot lid, you lose all the heat. Also, while I live alone, the basket only holds one semi-large serving at a time, so making them for company isn’t efficient. I get hungry for French fries often, but find it’s just easier and more cost-effective to order them with a dinner out, of from a fast-food drive-thru.

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    • That’s exactly what I fear. I never really used my bread maker much. The sous vide gizmo was worth it though. I use that. As for FF, I love them. We have a Five Guys burger joint locally. They make them from scratch. I could just eat the fries and skip the burger. Never met a potato I didn’t like.

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  21. I understand your need to contemplate redecorating. I get it, too. We are super aware of keeping up our house because our street STILL isn’t finished, so if we were to sell our competition would be new houses down the way with all the latest and greatest. No contest as to what buyers would choose.

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  22. I too have the home decorating itch. In my mind’s eye, I’m trying to get ready to sell and move in hopes that Husband will soon be on the same page as I am. I’m going to take my victories where I can. Yesterday he agreed to 3 potential colour choices for the bedroom. Today I buy samples!!!

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    • I have wallpaper in my kitchen. It’s a soft plaid (and very pretty!). I know I will need to remove it when I sell because, well, wallpaper. The wall will be so plain without something. I’ve been trying to come up with something but will probably just paint and let the next people think of something. I thought about changing out the carpet in the guest bedroom. It’s 16 years old but if I change to newer colors I have to be careful as my home doesn’t have gray tones in it and that’s what people are choosing these days.

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