Apartment Life

 In so many ways, we are happy with our apartment but there are adjustments and issues.  

Jim has been hearing a mouse in the wall in the middle of the night.  Yesterday he put his complaint on the "portal" and maintenance was here promptly.  They will return on Monday morning to do something about it--which may involve a hole in the wall.  I fear a mouse in the house but at least the annoying scratching will be over we hope.  I am not bothered by it because by that time of early morning, I have wandered to the guest bedroom--where Jim joined me last night.  It was like the earlier days of our marriage pre-king-size bed. 

Our appliances are mostly just fine but the freezer is not large enough for what we purchase--which may be too much.  So Jim coped today by finishing off the old coffee ice cream so we could find room for a new container!  Ice cream for lunch!  

This is not an apartment problem, but a technology issue.  In order to get the Mets-Phillies game last night, we had to sign up for Apple Plus streaming.  It is free for three months and then not expensive.  But Jim put in his password instead of his Apple ID and there was no going back.  We watched the game on his phone for a short while and gave up.  The Phillies have more at stake and will be in the wild card games but our heart is with the Mets and they lost again last night.  We hope to watch ND vs. Ohio State on NBC tonight with no issues! 

One more item to note--my gardening is limited to my moonflowers which are doing well again this year.  I started them from seed in April and potted the only two that germinated in May after the danger of frost is over.  With a tomato cage as a trellis they have blossomed ourside our door--just one or two a night and then they are withered in the morning.  They have attracted the attention of neighbors--and maintenance too who ask about "Jack and the beanstalk." 

Today is a very rainy day and once again we were glad we chose a complex with garages attached to the units.  When we came home from the grocery store, we got a bit of exercise climbing those steps. But at least it was dry!  Jim's sister and brother-in-law will be visiting this week and I wonder what they will think of our apartment life.  We think Barclay Square was a good decision.

He's OK now but....

 Many years ago, Laura emailed me after a night in an Australian swamp "I'm OK now, Mom."  It was a memorable line after a terrible experience.

I've been thinking about that line today.  Yesterday Jim had a routine rheumatology appointment in which he had a high blood pressure reading.  He attributed that to his hurrying into the examination room from the car.  I said we could check it when we got home with a monitor I've had for a few years.  

When we checked at home, his reading was even higher--much higher.  After a few more tries with confirming readings, I asked him to cancel his golf date and call our doctors.  He did so and got an appointment for this morning with a nurse practitioner.  Little by little the reading went down but it was still definitely hypertension. 

Googling the numbers told us that one had to head to the ER immediately if it was 180/120.  It was not that high but the initial numbers were not far below that. 

Jim felt good about the nurse he saw this morning.  She prescribed a medication and asked him to monitor his blood pressure twice a day and then see her in two weeks.  She didn't want the drug to lower it too far!

We picked up the prescription and Jim took his first pill at noon.  Tonight at 9 pm we got out the monitor.  Sadly, the batteries were dead.  Happily, we had more in the closet.  The numbers tonight were great!  What a relief!  How wonderful to see that drugs work and work so well!  We are so relieved and grateful.

----------Two weeks follow-up--All good.  He needs to check b/p two or three times a week and see nurse again in three months.   

This is Enough

 

"This is Enough" has been my mantra lately.  When we were in St. Pete Beach last January, I sat on the deck looking out at the bay and told myself, "This is enough."  I didn't need to go on a long walk or a swim and we didn't have a car half of the time.  It was enough to look out at the beauty around me and meditate with thankfulness.

Laura writes about the value of setting 100 goals.  I don't have 100 goals.  I don't have a bucket list and this week I read a piece in the Washington Post in which someone's father set a "chuck-it list" instead of a "bucket list" and was relieved to do so.  There are no places I really want to see other than visiting our children and grandchildren in their homes.  I have no desire to travel overseas again or even to fly anywhere in the US.   We do plan to go to Florida again in January so we will endure Newark Airport one more time at least.

It makes me somewhat sad to think of all the times I explored NYC by myself--the adrenaline I felt stepping out of Penn Station into the crowds on the sidewalk.  Thanks to a few falls and other incidents, I would not dare do it alone again.  Jim and I might make a trip there together but we have no immediate plans. 

We are offering our bikes as a give-away to students coming into town.  I insisted on bringing them here when we moved but we have not used them and now I feel too uneasy about doing so--getting off and on and keeping my balance.  It's a regret but not a big loss!

"It is enough" to do the household chores, to do Spelling Bee and the NYT crossword puzzle daily with Jim, to watch the Mets or the Phillies from our couch, to find good books to read, to email friends and hear from them in response, to visit our children and grandchildren, and to blog when I am inspired to do so!