viewCroquet, anyone?
Why in the world has it taken me so long to buy a croquet set?
We had so much fun playing this backyard game when I was a boy growing up! And now that I'm an old fart, I'm finding this a great excuse to get out of the recliner and into the outdoors, fresh air, and sunshine, and move around.
Pricing new croquet sets, I found they can retail into the several hundreds of dollars. BUT cheapo sets like this that I've just purchased online, can be had in the $25.00 or $35.00 range. And this has everything needed to play the game, plus a carrying case to store the stakes, wickets, balls, and mallets when not being used.
Is this aerobic exercise? Of course not. Strength and muscle building? Ha! Not at all. But as I said above, croquet gets me moving around outside in the fresh air and sunshine. And it's fun! So I consider it to be a very healthy activity: something good for old folks like me to do.
So... who's up for a game?
The adventure continues.
Posted on 24 May 2020, this is my 23/100/365 of the https://100daystooffload.com blogging challenge.
#100DaysToOffload #SeniorLiving #health
by Roscoe
viewR&R Wednesday
22 April 2020 ~ 09:45
Today I'm feeling much better than yesterday, thank God. I was hit by some obnoxious stomach bug that gets to me every couple of years or so. I'm tempted to call it some kind of flu, but I had what my doctor calls a “super” flu shot three months ago. Whatever.
Tuesday morning found me waking with abdominal cramps and constipation. That was followed eventually by diarrhea after taking meds to deal with the former. And I had to stay very close to the bathroom even through Tuesday night.
Even now, mid-morning on Wednesday, I'm not 100% recovered. But I am clearly MUCH better than I was. And if past performance is any guide, tomorrow or Friday will find me fully back to my old self. I'll just schedule this as a Rest & Recovery day.
#SeniorLiving #health #flu
by Roscoe
view“Eww! That is NOT the prettiest thing I've seen this morning!”
30 March 2020 – 17:45
That's what I told the nurse on the other end of the line. She giggled and replied, “Well, I think you have it set up properly.”
I am scheduled for an appointment with my primary care physician in a few days. It's just a routine appointment and I'm not even to see the Doctor himself, but his Nurse Practitioner.
His office called me this morning and told me they were starting to use tele-health services and asked if I would be willing to meet with the Nurse Practitioner over the phone. Heck, yes! I'm totally fine with staying home instead of being driven downtown to the office, then waiting, then being driven back home.
The girl from his office then asked what kind of phone I had: an iPhone or an Android. And she asked if I'd be willing to download the duo app, as that's what the Doctor likes to use. So...
I'll be waiting by my phone for the office to call me at the time of my appointment. And we'll see how it goes.
#SeniorLiving #SevenTwoProject #health #technology
by Roscoe
viewA happy consequence...
26 March 2020 – 18:15
... of Sylvia being home all day now (both places where she worked are now closed due to the Chinese flu general economic slowdown) is that her health seems to be improving.
A few minutes ago I mentioned to her that her coughing and sneezing have slowed way down. She's had a scary cough and sneeze combination for as long as I've known her, seven years now. But over the course of this week that has practically disappeared. She replied that, yeah, she's noticed that, too.
I suggested that maybe her stress levels are lower now that she no longer has to go to work.
#SeniorLiving #health
by Roscoe
... I'm finally ready to start transcribing.
Last week at our monthly business meeting the Recorder (Recording Secretary) was absent and I was asked to take the minutes of the meeting. Though that's a chore I don't particularly enjoy, (honestly, who does?), I agreed to do it.
While the meeting is in progress I do two things: I run a voice recorder app on my phone, and I take down notes with pen on paper. Then, when I can find a solid block of uninterrupted time in my home office, I'll: 1.) copy the recorded audio file onto my computer, 2.) open a template in my word processor, 3.) set my handwritten notes nearby for ready reference, and 4.) begin transcribing the minutes of the meeting into the word processor as I listen to the audio.
The photo above shows the tools all in place and ready for me to start. Sometimes I can breeze through the process and have an acceptable draft of the minutes ready to print in just a few short hours. Other times... well, I hope this will be one of the easy times. But with my glaucoma and cataracts acting up, this could take a few days.
#SevenTwoProject #SeniorLiving #health #personal #chores
by Roscoe
... sort of.
Insomnia has always been something I've had to deal with. Waking in the middle of the night has become such a frequent habit for me that I've come to think of myself as a natural segmented-sleeper.
Often I'll put head to pillow by 10:00 PM or so, wake fully after about three or four hours, then spend another hour or two working at the keyboard or surfing the Internet before falling asleep again. With two alarms set, one for 5:00 AM and the second for 6:00 AM, to ensure I'm awake enough to start the coffee and wake up the wife and help her so she can be at work on time, I'm hard-pressed to get the seven or eight hours of sleep I need. Especially if my “insomnia break” lasts longer than two hours, as it frequently does.
If I eat too much too close to bedtime, my insomnia will be accompanied by a touch of indigestion. That's why the “Antacid” tablets are on the table near my bed. Chewing a few will sometimes help me fall asleep again.
And during the allergy season these insomnia episodes are often accompanied by purely evil sinus woes. Hence the allergy pills are kept close, too.
These over-the-counter medicines don't always put me back to sleep, but sometimes they do.
#SevenTwoProject #SeniorLiving #personal #health
by Roscoe
... is to remain quiet and let the world roll on by. This is one of those days. And I'll probably have many days like this for the next several weeks, for as long as the cedar fever season lasts. My reaction to the mountain cedar pollen coupled with side effects of the medicine I take to blunt that reaction lowers my mental state and my attitude to sub-optimal levels. Given the fact that my grip on reality is not all that tight even at the best of times, making it through cedar fever season safely is especially challenging.
Focusing on the moment at hand, restricting my activities to those I KNOW I can handle, being patient with myself, etc., all these little life skills will be important for me to hold onto and practice diligently. And, of course, I'll keep reminding myself that I've made it through other cedar fever seasons, and I'll make it through this one, too.
#SeniorLiving #health
by Roscoe