Category: Friday Five

Well, here we are. Another week has passed, and this was a tough week for me. Ah, but like any good New Englander, I soldiered on…

1. On Monday, I got some help from Elena filling out various documents. This was easy, as Elena is so pleasant to work with.
2. Then came Tuesday. I had been told I would meet with someone who would help me fill out all of the VA documents. This was not exactly the case. Each time I began to ask a question, he would cut me off. He also started throwing papers on the floor, and after 55 minutes, he announced that he had only scheduled 45 minutes for me, and I had already used 55 minutes! Did I feel bullied? Yes. Did I feel intimidated? Yes. It was not good!
3. Wednesday, I attempted to get things done, but I failed. I just wanted to crawl into a corner and hide.
4. Thursday, I went out to our local farm for vegetables. I stopped in and got the mail, and when I arrived home, I started working on some paperwork. I needed to find some dates for documents, and it took me a long time to find them. Eventually, I did. Whew!
5. Lastly, I needed to find the Title of my Highlander. Usually, we have kept them in the file “Auto Titles,” but it was not there! I searched and searched, and I decided to look into the glove compartment. Yes, there it was!

+1 Today, I have dental surgery. I’m not sure exactly what they will do, but I have a feeling it will be painful.

So there we are. My car is due to arrive soon. I hope my dental work won’t be too expensive and will not hurt too much!

Have a great weekend!

I had hoped to have more downtime this week, but it didn’t happen. Oh well, here is this week’s Friday Five.

1. My face began to swell over the weekend, on the side of my face where the lousy tooth is. It was then I started to panic.  I got in first thing on Monday morning; sure enough, it is infected.
2. Next week I go in for dental surgery. I blame my mother for this. Although she was good in so many ways, dental care was not one of them.
3. The “Oh, so simple” signing up for Medicare and Social Security was not so simple. So I gathered all my documents and headed to the nearest Social Security Office, where I got both done in less than an hour.
4. Next week is a crazy week. The biggest pain is I have an appointment with the VA to fill in a 40-page document so that I will receive my Widows Pension. The thing that frustrates me the most is that they already have this information.
5. Lastly, as I have thought about Jack’s passing, I realize that there were several phases of his life with me.

   The first was when we were both younger, healthy, and running mini-road races. We did so much, and we traveled the world. Life was one big adventure. That’s the Jack I am missing. That’s the Jack I wish would saunter in the door with stories about his flight patterns and jokes he’d heard along the way. That’s the Jack of my heart.

Time is going on. I am determined to find a new life. Mostly I am doing okay, but sometimes I feel tied to the house as if waiting for Jack to come back or appear in his chair. So as the hours die on Thursday night, here is this week’s Friday Five.

1. I started my week meeting up with Amanda, Matt, Savi, and Quinn for dinner. It was so wonderful to see everyone and have a relaxed meal.

   My grandson Quinn is still in the world of fun and adventurous little boy stuff.

   

   On the other hand, Savannah has grown so tall and is on the verge of being a full-fledged teenager. Lovely and sweet.

2. My daily joy is my trips out to the farm. Each day I go and buy fresh corn, Thai Spring rolls, and their homemade bread.

   I eat only when hungry, and my weight has been falling off. It’s a relief only to eat when I feel like it and then only what I like.

3. I went out on Wednesday and bought two new pieces of furniture. A recliner to replace Jack’s chair and a small love seat to replace my 30+-year-old ginormous sofa. The sofa I have wanted to get rid of for a while, but since Jack’s death, his chair hurts me every single day.
4. I had my physical on Thursday, and I am mostly okay. Right now, just a few minor things and my hips.
5. I raced home to take care of the dogs to find Lili’s front ankle to be swollen, and she was limping. Should she still be in the morning, it will be off to the Veterinarians we will go.

So, I wish you, Gentle Reader, a very happy and wonderful weekend!

I took some time off right after Jack passed away. I figured two weeks, and then I’d be able to face life again. What I have found is that perhaps I need a little bit longer. Okay, folks, here is this week’s Friday Five.

1. I want you to know that your loved ones will need the most ridiculous documents when you die. Some papers I understand, but other companies require a notarized Death Certificate mailed to the corporate office. This I do not understand.
2. For instance, our Cell Phone Company wanted all that and my right arm. I tried calling corporate with no results. So I went to the local store. They had a hard time, too, despite their ability to go in and see that I have used my credit card since 2018 to pay the bill. Also, we have used my email address for paperless billing.  It is still not resolved. But at least I can pay the bill.
3. Some good friends of mine gave me a wonderful bereavement gift. Instead of a floral arrangement, they sent me a gift card to our local farmstand. I get out each day for a ride to the farm to pick up their fresh corn! How wonderful. Another neighbor brought over some zucchini and summer squash! Vegetables are so much better for you than Lasagna or brownies (although those would be gratefully accepted!)
4. So, I am looking for a new car. I want another Highlander—one with all the latest safety features. I am going to a Dealership tomorrow.
5. Aside from that, my chilling out starts right after this visit. I need some time off.

That’s it for this week. I hope where ever you are; your weekend is a good one.

After my first good night’s sleep in a very long time, I sat down this morning and said, “Oh my, it’s Friday!” Time for the Friday Five.

1. Often I have heard of paper reduction acts. I am all for them, especially when I got my Widows Pension Pack from the Government. This pack is forty pages long, and nearly every page contains information that they already have due to Jack’s status in the military. I have called for help every day and no one answers. Today I will call again. However, I will call a different department and beg!
2. I stopped in to check with someone who knows my cars and got an idea of what I can get for the Cadillac. He’s been a friend for over twenty years, so we talked a lot about Jack and things.
3. Actually, yesterday I also had my hair done. I do not want a fussy hairdo. I want to shower and scrunch and go. These are natural curls.

   Why not use them? I am so lucky to have Becca. She is a young friend and stylist. Didn’t she do a great job?

4. Today I’d like to sit and actually do some paperwork. Pay bills, write a few notes, and organize my certificates folder. Jack’s original social security card and birth certificate are in this folder. They are very old and are in tatters.
5. Since Jack’s passing, I have not watched any TV. I put on music in the morning and let that calm my soul. Life has changed. This is new territory for me.  My world is different, but life is going on.

The week has ended. One part of my life has ended, and now I must turn and place my foot forward and begin again. So, my Gentle Readers here is this week’s Friday Five.

1. 1. Yesterday, I was taking care of the kitchen and family room, and then today was a run to the Vet to see about Heidi’s eyes. She is fine and just needs a little ointment for a few days.
   2. I stopped to get the mail, and then we came home. I thought we might go out for dinner, but a very kind friend brought me Chinese Food!
   3. Everything came to a head today. I need to start signing up for Social Security and Medicare A & B and find out how to retain my Delta Eyecare and Dental. I felt myself calling out to Jack. You rat, you left me to deal with all of this!
   4. Beautiful flowers arrived while I was napping.Cream and Yellow Roses. My favorite! I felt so loved.
   5. Finally, this weekend brings me peace and quiet.  I plan several days of light music, lots of naps, and a lot of solitude!

 

It’s begun. I suppose I knew all along that it would, but is anyone really prepared? Oh well, here we go, this week’s Friday Five.

1. When I married Jack, he was 49, and I was 29. He was full of life and planned so much for us to do together.
2. We ran 10k road races, we sailed the ocean blue, we climbed Mount Washington, and we traveled and saw so much of England, Scotland, Germany, Italy, and France, and all seemed right in our world. Newlyweds. We laughed, we smiled, and life was very good.
3. Jack flew out the remaining years of his career as a pilot, first with Pan Am and the last with Delta. We traveled everywhere and saw so much.
4. When Jack retired, we moved back to New Hampshire. We built a lovely home which we have lived in since 1999.
5. The slowdown came faster than I thought. He became an expert napper, and, little by little, he just stopped doing things. In the last 12 years, he occasionally fainted. Recently it has been a true passing out. The recovery comes much slower, and there are times it takes a while for him to be fully awake. He has had 3 of these in the last nine days. He is not eating or drinking much. And as much as the doctors want him to be in the hospital, he refuses to go.

1. + So here we are. Getting close to the end. I never thought it would go by this fast.

The last two weeks have been rather crazy for me I will try to put down the top 5, but really there could be a dozen more happenings here. I will try to keep it down but this may become a Friday Five plus…

1. My mammogram showed a 6 mm mass that was not there a year ago, or two years ago…I had further testing, and the doctors seem to think I can be followed up in six months, but I am very uncomfortable with this. My Mom had breast cancer, and well I am always convinced that I have one foot in the grave. I’m going to talk to my Primary Care Doctor and get her opinion. It just doesn’t seem right.
2. I have a failing root-canaled crown. I’m going in August for dental surgery. Since I am a big chicken and a dental-phobe, I am really not looking forward to all this. But it must be done. Here comes the hit to my checkbook.
3. Lili had her teeth cleaned. They were also able to give her a full physical.Lili is truly, “Leaping Lili” which makes it hard to examine her. She is 75 healthy and happy pounds!
4. Jack wasn’t feeling too well this week and he gave me quite a scare. I’d gone out to walk the girls before bed and I came back in to find him passed out on the floor! He roused quickly, but he was deadweight for me to try to lift. I tried to use my head to figure out a way to lift him up and after a good 30-plus minutes I was able to get him in a chair and I got out his walker. I finally got him in his recliner, walked the dogs again and collapsed onto my recliner, and fell asleep.
5. My goal today is to do some grooming on Heidi. She looks a bit shaggy right now. I’ll take some before and after pictures. Hopefully, she will be cooperative.

Plus 1. I got my hair layered today. Back to curls. It’s a little shorter and easier to handle. Right now I feel overwhelmed with a lot of things. My hair was something I can take care of easily.

And have a wonderful weekend!

 Do you ever have a week where you are so busy driving great distances, that by the end of the week, all you want to do is close your eyes and put up your feet? Well, that was this week for me. I have one last event today, but that is some relaxation for me, as I get my hair done. So without further adieu, here is this week’s Friday Five.

1. This was the week of tests and doctor’s appointments. I drove to Laconia (not bad), then to Manchester on Tuesday, and then drove over to Vermont and back on Wednesday. I woke on Thursday, tossed everything in the car (crate, Heidi, picnic lunch, and Jack), and off to Manchester we went again.
2. My appointment Monday needs further testing. Ugh. It means next Thursday I will need to drive to Concord.
3. Tuesday found us going over to Vermont for a follow-up on Jack’s Kidney Stone. Guess what? He has another one!
4. While Jack was having a test I walked all around the VA parking area. I encouraged Heidi to make friends and be a bit more open. She did great.
5. Thursday we got the results of some of Jack’s tests. Not much can be done for an 85-year-old.

Well, that was the week that was. I sure am glad that it is over! Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy first Friday in June! Can you believe it? In a few short months, me and a bunch of my friends will have our 65th birthdays, thus joining the retired “Baby Boomer” generation. The last week has been crazy, but as I reach Friday, here is this week’s Friday Five.

1. A week and a half ago after experiencing the Blue Screen of Death on my Dell Laptop,

   I sent it in to have my Computer Guru wipe the hard drive. He started off trying to run a few programs. After he got the Blue Screen of Death when he had actually wiped the hard drive, he got this cute screen.

   

   He tried to go further, but when he saw this, he knew that my old Dell was good for nothing other than chopping up the hard drive with a sledgehammer.

   

   Well, it got both of our attention and we decided that a new computer was in my future.

2.  Since it’s been a while since I purchased a laptop, I wanted to get a good machine with upgraded features. Again, the industry has flown by me and I needed help. Fortunately, my friend helped me pick a new machine. I ordered a Lenovo and it is unbelievably fast, And it seems to suit me.

3. Due to the long weekend, the machine didn’t arrive until Tuesday. I could hardly wait and I have spent the last few days programming it. Later today I will add my purchased programs.

4. Lili is doing fine now after her bee sting. I have never seen such enormous Bees! And Poor Lili suffered from the sting and from being sensitive to Benedryl.

   

   Heidi knew she was unwell and she lay beside her until Lili was better.

5. I am on a German Wirehaired Dachshund webpage on Facebook. We are all devoted to our little beings and enjoy their special personalities. While dusting my bookcase I came across a book that had been written and illustrated by a man named Martin Blank.

   Martin Blank and his Dackel, Schluffi.

   I had taken two pictures from the book and mentioned that I knew Mr. Blank had died, but I felt the need to celebrate his creativity. Some time passed and his wife (who is also on the list) replied. I was so happy.

That is all for this week. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and that a little sun shines and the temperatures are wonderful and warm.