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I have prayed for Charles and it’s wonderful to hear things are going well. Oh I remember petti pants and the pretty colors and trims. Stay well

I am so glad that Charles's pain is less after his surgery! Modern medicine can be so wonderful. He seems to be getting around amazingly well. I am so impressed by changing the faucet by yourself. We just replaced our kitchen faucet too, but went from a modern one to an old-fashioned one. We had the plumber put it in after our experience with the bathroom faucets. Without the tall curve of the modern one, I got the use of my small windowsill back. I was very happy about that. 

Balance is such a good subject. We have been doing so much transforming of our house this year that I am exhausted. It will be worth it when it is done because then I will have created balance. Work and rest, both in comfortable amounts. One of our present projects is taking the front birdbath bowl and putting it in the ground (not on the ground) on the shady side of the house for a mini bird pond, and I just ordered crocus bulbs on a fall pre-sale to naturalize around it in the lawn. It got too hot in the front for the bird bath. I'm going to have to change where my hummingbird feeder is too. We finally got a hummingbird regular and a visitor. My son's room gets hotter than the rest of the house. It got cooler from the attic fan, but with the three-digit temps, it was still warming up a lot. We finally ordered a portable room AC when we analyzed how the sun hits his room from two sides, and that's what keeps it so hot all day long. The way our house is designed has his room sticking out from the rest of the house. We are going to test using the solar generators to run the AC unit when it's installed. 

I am sure Charles will improve a lot! I am so glad to hear the things went well. :)

I've been wondering how Charles was doing. I'm so very, very happy to hear how well he is doing!  

I've replaced 3 sink faucets. Our laundry room was easy, but our kitchen is difficult because there's no room. It requires quite the physical contortion.  The wood in the center to close the doors makes it so the cabinet areas are very narrow and between the plumbing trap on one side and the disposal on the other side it's extremely difficult to get in there. I have thought to remove the center wood and brace the sides inside. Easier yet a curtain, but we have dogs and I don't want them under there. But that isn't the biggest problem, the problem is it's usually trying to remove the old faucets due to corrosion or what not. So HUGE kudos to you for being able to do this!!!   And truth be told, things always go bad when the husbands are indisposed! The last was our septic leaking on the way to taking my husband to his heart ablation surgery. Afterwards he's not able to do that physical work. That was a huge stressor as my back isn't able to shovel and NO Company would unearth it even for a fee.

Heat is NOT my thing. In AZ it's ridiculously hot. Next week to be in the 100's again and is wreaking havoc with not have the dogs exercised enough - 2 large ones. I just don't have the energy as the heat sucks me dry and they won't go out. That means nocturnal dog activity, early rising for me (a few times it was 3:40 which is ridiculous) - just a season of constant fatigue. I'm living in the wrong area for sure. When monsoon is over, it'll be hot as blazes still through October, but the nights will be cooler.  

Right now I'm searching for somewhere else to get all my vitamins and supplements. I've had it with Amazon. They stopped delivering to my address, yet still deliver to some people in the neighborhood, I can make one order and they all come separate which is a monetary nightmare, it's never, ever on time, some orders they won't deliver here at all (which is a highway lockbox), so I have to adjust where, and if I have them deliver to my husband's work they never read the delivery instructions and throw it on the porch on a friday evening and it's a business... so it's usually stolen.  Their service has gone way, way down the tubes and I refuse to pay anymore for the horrible service.

For now, I've been listening to a lot of music from my childhood and going back to CD's an DVD's. I'm so done with subscriptions and nonsense and it's fun to boot!  Simple too!!!

It is wonderful that Charles has done so well. He has an exceptional caregiver.

Balance is so important and hard to do, sometimes. As we get into our 70's and 80's extra "stuff" can seem overwhelming. You are an inspiration, gDonna.

We have always gone by the old adage that "two is one and one is none." That has saved us money and stress many times. Everything has become so expensive.

You are very creative with the plumbing. I never thought of having a flat, long car dolly for projects that are hard for people with arthritic bending, squatting and back issues. It is nice to learn so much from this blog.

Many blessings to everyone.

I am so glad to hear how well Charles is doing! How wonderful!

I recently had a lesson in proper preparedness. I was visiting my mother when the Spokane fires began, and we had to evacuate. This isn’t something she nor I had ever considered, since she lives well within town. Yet, there we were, with visible flames burning as we loaded the car! Deciding what to take within the 10 minute window we had between learning of the fire and the evacuation order was difficult, and mistakes were definitely made. We did luck out, as her part of the neighborhood was untouched, but the fire burned to within 8 blocks of her, but they got it out at the sports fields at the end of her street. The evacuation orders seemed Willy-nilly at the time, and we later learned that they were because the fire spread so quickly and they were trying to keep it from burning down the river valley and into downtown. 

My mother is nearly 80, and although strong and active, we realized that she needed a plan for evacuations. Before I left, we put together a couple of plastic tubs holding copies of her important documents, and her most beloved photo albums, and a few other irreplaceable things. One tub is almost empty, but we wrote a list on the lid of things to grab and throw in if there is time. That way she doesn’t have to think, as we learned there is no time to think during an evacuation order. The tubs live in her mudroom between the house and garage, so it would only take a moment to load them into her car and go. We made sure they weren’t too heavy so that she could lift them easily. 

With our changing world, it is important to think of emergency preparedness. You might not have to evacuate because of wildfires, but hurricanes and other reasons may mean one does. Being prepared, and making sure you prepare in a way to fit your age and abilities, is so important

I'm so glad to hear that Charles is doing well after his surgery.  My brother in law had that same type of hip surgery and his recuperation went well.  It's good to know, from someone with the real experience with this type,  that this is the better option to choose.  It's amazing how soon he is up and walking around unaided.  Sorry that so many things around the house have gone askew right when you need normal as much as possible.  Your preparedness and earlier hospital work has certainly helped make things go more smoothly for both of you.

It's good to know that Charles is on the mend.  Take care and rest when you can.

Hello Donna, I very happy that Charles is going better. He had a very good nurse !!

Here in France the summer is very hot, and températures is over 38* dégrées someday. So I try to work early in the morning, and after lunch, we stay calm at home under the fan. Please take care of you and your family.???? Angie.

I use iherb dot com for my supplements. They have free shipping over $25 and sell a lot of things besides supplements. 

Grandma Donna, thanks for the update on Charles. It is so wonderful to read a new post from you. I also appreciate the photo of what you prepared for before the surgery. Good to see what is needed and already laid out. My husband had hernia surgery a month ago and he didn't need as much care as Charles, but it was still an adjustment. I don't have any experience caring for Ill or recovering people as we don't have children and I've lived away from any family for over 30 years, so I didn't have my parents near me to care for when they were Ill. I learn a lot from you and others here on the forum which I'm thankful for.

The heat and humidity here in Tennessee is brutal at the moment and we have a lawncare business so we are out in this weather mowing. I got heatstroke on Thursday and it was really awful so we've adjusted the times we go out. So everyone take heed when the heat advisory says to stay in doors! 

Grandma Donna,

I am so relieved to hear that Charles is recuperating well. You may not be getting any younger, but you and Charles are still going strong! I just turned 49, and you both are such an inspiration. I love your positive, yet realistic view on life and aging. Keep it up! A faucet change? You never cease to amaze me!

I live outside of Charleston, SC, in the Low Country. The heat index is 118 today. I don't do well in the heat due to health issues. Thank goodness for central AC! I never had it before this house, and it's done wonders for my asthma and allergies. I can't breathe well when it's humid. I know it's not something everyone has, so it makes me that much more grateful to have. 

I have also struggled with my wardrobe this summer. I can only really do cotton and lighter linen. Most other fabrics irritate my skin. I find Fresh Produce clothing items on Ebay. The company caters to an over 40 clientele, all their items are made in the USA, and the colors are so much fun. Their items usually last forever as well. I can't afford their full price items, so I always try to find a good sale. The pettipants sound like a great idea! I bet you can use them year round.

So happy to see this post and to know how well Charles and you are doing. You did a great job prepping and repairing things. Great job on the sink! 

I have been spending time going thru closets and clothes. I cannot wear the unnatural fabrics anymore, I get itchy skin and, in this heat, and humidity I don't need more reason to itch. While many others are having drought and wildfires we are being flooded. Thankfully not me personally but even the country roads around me have been covered. I am pretty sure the houses along these roads have water in their basement.

I have been busy pickling and cleaning/sorting when it is too wet to be outside.  Gardens are wet and we need to be digging potatoes, we may have to dig in mud. 

Still adjusting my home to reflex my current needs and hopefully more like the 1940's.  I have let the news creep back into my life and I know I need to get that under control again.

I hope you remain safe in your neck of the woods. We have friends in Indiana, which has suffered greatly recently due to flooding. Climate change is certainly wreaking havoc in so many places, unfortunately. 

Oh, the news. I understand! I've been trying to watch less and less on social media and TV. It's very difficult since the US midterms are coming up. I feel like we're inundated with information on a daily basis which isn't healthy for us. Instead, I put on BritBox and watch Keeping Up Appearances or a good British mystery. 

I'm glad I'm not alone in my quest for better natural fabrics to wear. It's tough but so worth it when you get rid of all those synthetic clothes!

great to hear your husband is healing well!!!

I was wondering why you said you need a neutral color sweater when going out. Is that because it can match any number of outfits?

love your blog

Lee Ann