Tuesday-9:30am

Tried getting the paints out again yesterday.

Nothing seems to be working very well, just like last time I worked on it. My hands just don't seem to work right sometimes. This picture seems to have a jinx on it. Oh well--I'll fnish it. Even if it ends up in the recycling for papermaking bin. You always learn something. :) Maybe I need to try something else for a while? Some Chinese Brush Painting or papermaking or.....

Got close to freezing last night--already! Supposed to stay in the 60's during the day and 30's at night for a while. Got cold enough I shut the bedroom window last night. Feels so wintery.

I went over to the office yesterday and talked with them about needing a garage door opener. I was very nice--and just assumed they would probably do this for me. Explained that I didn't have a car before and how the garage has been used for storage. I could wait for Dagan and Leah to come and put something in the garage for me before--but now I have to be able to get in and out all the time. Explained that my bad arm is a part of my disability--and what is wrong with the garage door and that they have tried to fix it twice already. Asked if maybe I needed to get ahold of some state disability organization to talk to them. The one lady was scowling and frowning, but the other one was nicer and said she'd make some calls and let me know what she could find out.

Some of the garages have garage door openers and some don't. They used to offer putting in a garage door opener as a move-in incentive. Kind of dumb to have some with and some without, actually. I am assuming they will agree to it. If they say no--I will go down and talk to them again and explain more about the situation and bring some of my paperwork from my doctors. Because if I can't park the car in the garage because I can't get it out--well, I can't shovel my car out of the snow either because of my bad arm and they will tow it away!! I have to be able to use my garage.

So--if they say no again--I will have to try to locate some disability organization or free lawyer. Also, if they just try to fix the door handle once again and I can't open it after a short time--again--I'll be back in there bugging them. It seems ridiculous not to have the garage door opener with a single unit here because we are often the disabled and elderly. There are only a few single units here in low income housing--most of the 2-3 bedroom units are families.

It boils down to--I have a bad arm and need a garage door that can be basically opened with one hand. I didn't have a car and now I do. I need to be able to get in and out of the garage. It will happen. Somehow. I will be able to get in and out of my garage. Right? Right! :)

So, that's the news from Fargo today--hehe! Wish me luck! Say a prayer!

Monday-6:30am

Did a little potting yesterday.

The larger blue one is repotted with some more of Karma's cat grass. The last batch died--maybe from being out on the porch in the cold lately? The front one has a couple of apple seeds--hehe! Just for fun to see if they will actually sprout. I tried it many years ago and they didn't--but I hadn't dried the seeds out. I heard you are supposed to dry the seeds? We'll see.

Had a bad night for some reason--up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Got up early and took a pain pill. No idea why I am so sore really. Sometimes just haven't a clue--hehe! I am very tired. Oh well. :)

I am baffled by the VCRs--chuckle! I did my test recordings on new tapes and they all played okay. ???? The bedroom VCR did seem a tiny bit wobbly on playback on the slower speed, as I suspected. So, I got rid of all the older tapes I had left and am only using the brand new ones for now. I suspect it is the bedroom VCR that is gradually ruining the tapes. Time will tell, eh? At least I have the back-up VCRs close at hand now. Probably put them in the storage area at the other end of the hall when I get some boxes from Dagan from work (paper boxes). You wouldn't want them out where people can see them well. I should take a picture of the storage rooms one day--chicken wire and 2X4s--hehe!

Anyways, very dark and chilly. I am going to let the pain pill work and then start my day... :)

Sunday-10;15am

Yesterday I went through the storage area to look for more items to give away and hauled them out to the garage on my little green cart. I didn't sprain my fingers this time opening the door--but it sure wasn't easy to get it open. I bagged up some more of the things for pick up on Wednesday--found a small pot for dirt and the two VCRs.

I have had such bad reception for so long that yesterday I have discovered that I may have trouble with both of the VCRs I have been using? So I did a test recording last night on the fastest speed on new tapes. I will watch them both today on both VCRs. Then I have to do a second test today at the slower speed. I have the sneaky suspicion that the one I thought was my "good" VCR doesn't tape well except on the fastest speed (2 hours a tape) which is limiting. We'll see how it goes. I do not know how to hook these VCRs up--but I might have to try after I complete the testing on the first two--hehe! Seems like I am always having trouble with electronic devices--anything that has a computer chip in it--hehe!

At least I got that done yesterday. :) Chilly, cloudy day today. Feels like winter trying to crawl down across Canada at night, but still climbing up into the 60's during the day.

I have several shows I tried to record that I couldn't see or hear very well in playback. So I am going to try to find them online. I've only done that once before--last year. Will be easier with this lighter laptop, actually. I can watch over an hour at a time on the battery. :) Can't tell the new TV season has begun, eh? Been basically nothing on most of the year--hehe!

Today is a day to stay warm and make sure the winter coat is out of storage. :)

Saturday-9am

Good Morning!!

Rare to catch Miss Karma upright. She generally thinks the upright position is only good for transporting herself to another good lie down spot--hehe!

Sun is shining, geese are honking, and it is quite cool in here this morning. (41 degrees right now and I had the bedroom window and porch door open with fans going all night, believe it or not--hehe! Ahh!) One extreme to the next up here. A couple of days ago was so hot and sticky I had the AC on. I have to keep that half moon pillow you see peeking out from the bedroom door on the floor there to keep the door from slamming shut and trapping Karma in the bedroom so she can't get to her cat box. Or--heaven forbid--she get shut out. Blocked access never goes over well with cats. Gets windy in Fargo, you know--hehe! I have to prop the porch door open, also, or it can slam shut, too.

The top is sprung on Karma's cat box in the hallway, as you can see. It won't shut anymore. Was actually a toy box from Target if you're interested to know (Leah cut out an entry hole in the other end you can't see). So--I wouldn't buy one--didn't take too long for the cover hardware to break. Karma doesn't mind that she can see out while she's busy in there--chuckle! Annoys me--but doesn't bother her. Karma thinks she's a spy and can be on the lookout for intruders. Myself--one of these days I would like to replace it with a new and different box. :)

Next time I am out in the garage I have to bring in another VCR. Turns out that the one we hooked up in the livingroom will record but won't play tapes back. So--off to recycling with that one! Dagan and Leah said they thought the silver one in the garage was theirs and should work fine as they never used it much. I wasn't sure which one was Dagan and Leah's--and thought one of the other two I already had in my garage worked? You aren't supposed to throw them in the trash, I guess. When I moved here they got mixed up. All three of them are VCRs only--I got combos (VCR/DVD players) at one point. So I was guessing--took in the first one we found that had a remote--hehe! I guess I'll find the silver one from Dagan and Leah and try that one next. And I will label this one that doesn't play back so we know which one goes to recycling! Whew! Electronics and I have a tenuous relationship--hehe!

I heard Paul Newman died. He was great! I loved his movies and the way they stayed out of the Hollywood madness all these years. Same with Jimmy Stewart--he was a favorite from another era--Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis... Speaking of--I wonder how old Robert Redford is now? He was younger, but he has to be getting up there, too. I just watched Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid a few weeks ago. Loved that one and The Sting! End of another movie era coming. :(

Must be strange to think people can be watching you for years and years after you have died!? Very odd. That is a new thing since motion pictures came about. Imagine the things people will be watching centuries from now from YouTube!!?? hehehe!

Friday-8:30am

Dagan was here and transferred the brains to the new desk computer. But--after he left I discovered I cannot get online. He forgot to check that--hehe! So, I am still using the new Gateway laptop Dagan and Leah gave me. Dagan took my old Dell laptop with him to reformat it so that I can give it to Caroline. :):)

Well--I finally felt better painwise, but it was a bad IBS day--so I was not going anyplace yesterday. If it isn't one thing it's another, eh? hehe! Plans are always tentative. I have to be adaptable--very flexible--able to handle the dissapointments of the day's activities (or lack of) and plans lost. Patience--I have learned patience more than anything else, I think. :)

Since I couldn't go anywhere, I got on the phone. Found a company that will come and pick up the things I want to give away--called "New Life". They do sell some things, but they give away to people trying to get on their feet. They will even take the microwave! I am so happy! They are coming next Wednesday between 1-3pm. I just have to make sure as much as possible is bagged or boxed. Most of it is, but I could put a few more things in plastic bags, I think.

Also next Wednesday, the plan is for Leah to come over and we will go shopping to a couple of places and then come back here and have a Craft Night!! :):) Been a long time!

There is a touch of sunshine this morning--filtering through the clouds. Supposed to rain, though. Have a good day. Stay dry! :)

Thursday-10am

We had some sun most of the day yesterday! I still wasn't feeling up to much, but today is another day. Pretty sad--four hours in the garage on Saturday and it takes me this long to recover. This morning is the first morning that feels more like my normal. :)

I tried to take a picture of the bruise on my middle finger.

Yesterday afternoon I figured out how to hook up the cable. Needed an extra small piece of cord & an adapter in the bedroom--a stool--and patience--hehe! Got the cable hooked up--tada! So, this morning I was actually able to see Bonnie Hunt! CBS had the worst reception, but I have always liked Bonnie Hunt--enough to just listen when I couldn't get a picture--hehe!
Dark morning, as you can tell. Been raining again.

Well--let's see what kind of a day today will be? :) :)

Wednesday-9:30am

Well, it has taken me 20 minutes to try to upload all these photos the same. Something is really messed up on blogger? I will try and write...

I made it out to the garage yesterday to get the hammer and screwdriver we forgot out there. Sprained my two middle fingers opening the garage door--so I will have to go and talk to them in the office. I just wasn't up to it yesterday.

Anyways, here's a picture of the cleaned garage!! And some of the wooden shelving on the back right side belongs to Dagan ad Leah and they will move it in October. (They use it for ValleyCon.)

This is the huge pile of "give away" stuff. I have to call and make arrangements for a pick-up from one of the two places I know about in town.

I suppose I could make the pick-up person open the door. That's a thought. Maybe I could call even tho I can barely open the door, eh?

Anyways, Caroline came to clean. She has noticed how horrible my reception has been the past couple of months. She told me that she had spent a long time on the phone with Cable One for another client of hers who is on a fixed income and finally found out that they have a "Lifeline" package you can purchase for $20 a month! It is basically channels 1-15 and just for good reception. It is not advertised on their website. Kind of a secret. They'd rather you pay the almost $50 for their "basic cable" package, of course.

And--because I am already set up with automatic withdrawal for their Internet service--I got free installation! So, today--sometime before 7pm--I am going to have cable reception!!! I think I'll get WGN and the CW channels, too.

Caroline was like an angel for me yesterday. I recently discovered I can't tape shows on either TV because the reception is so bad that this might be what you get:

I often can't watch two out of the five channels I get right now because they look like what you see above. They must have built something this summer nearby or something? It was never this dreadful. So--I am thrilled. I should have decent reception tonight! :):)

Anyways, my big project yesterday was to wash clothes--with my sprained fingers. I think today I might make it down to the office, so I can show them the bruise I have on one finger from the garage door handle. We'll see how this day unfolds. :)

Tuesday-8:45am

Karma and I haven't been doing much the last couple of days. Watched a lot of the Gilmore Girls. I have been too sore to do much of anything yet. Karma has no excuse--well, she'd make no excuse, either. Just her nature--deal with it, right? hehe!

Now this is a yawn!

She's back sleeping on her chair again. Who knows why? She wouldn't set foot on that chair for over a month--maybe longer.

It has been dark and raining periodically. I slept a little bit better last night--and no pain dreams. :) It was so humid when I got up, tho, that I had to put the AC on--100% humidity! Supposed to stay like this for a few days--clouds and/or rain.

Caroline comes today. As soon as I feel up to it, I have to get out and check the garage door. Today...tomorrow...sometime pretty soon...inbetween rain showers and thunderstorms...... :)

Sunday-8am

We worked all afternoon.

First--moved everything away from the back wall and swept.

Then Dagan and Leah put together these huge shelves they brought over for me to use!
Leah got them from her mom--were from the business when it closed.
Wow! Awesome, eh?
I mainly looked through boxes and bags--Dagan and Leah moved things for me. We got so busy that I forgot to take any pictures during. And by the time we were done--well, I was so sore I could barely walk--and I didn't do the lifting! Needless to say, an after picture was the last thing on my mind--hehe!

I have to go down today or tomorrow morning to see if I can open the garage door, tho--so I'll try to remember my camera. That is what I am working up to today, hopefully--opening the garage door. I have a couple things to wheel down there from the storage area, too, for the give-away pile. But, first, I have to walk down and see if I can even get the garage door open. No sense wheeling anything down until I check.

I had the maintanence man work on the garage door a while back and it worked really nicely--twice. But when we went down there yesterday, I couldn't get it open. Dagan could barely get it open--again--just like before. I have to know I can get it open before I dare call for a pickup even. I need to talk to the office about installing a garage door opener.

Lots of them have garage door openers, but not all of them. When I moved in I had a choice between $100 dollars off of Cable One or a garage door opener. I didn't have a car then. Turned out all I got was free installation on the Cable One--and they do that periodically for special deals, anyways. Now I DO need a garage door opener. So, I am going to be down at the office on Monday.

I had called them once about a garage door opener after I got the car and was told they run around $300.00. But--why should I pay for a garage door opener for them? Am I supposed to have it uninstalled and take it with me when I move? As a renter I am supposed to have a garage door that is usable. And I need one that I can open basically one-handed (bad arm is part of my disability--I have very little strength in the muscle damaged arm). I might have to get in touch with some agency or another? But, I need to be able to get in and out of that garage now. It had just been used as storage for 3 1/2 years. I have had them work on the handle mechanism twice. But before I could wait for Dagan and Leah to come over because it was too difficult for me to open--no big deal. Now--it IS a big deal.

Wish me luck!

I didn't sleep well. Took another pain pill this morning. I am typing this in my chair on the new laptop--or I wouldn't be blogging at all today. :) Dagan disconnected the desktop computer and then discovered he needed a wire. So--I have to use the laptop for now. No desk computer. They did not seem in any hurry to get the desk computer up and going for me. Were chuckling and teasing me about how this will force me to use the new laptop...

Well, it does have a working battery. And it is lighter. But when you are in pain you don't find things like that all that amusing--hehe! Yet--here I am blogging from my most comfortable chair...?? The end.

Saturday-9:45am

Quick note. Too hot and humid yesterday--so we are starting on the garage today. Supposed to be much cooler today. :)

Friday-8:45am

A good stretch!

I haven't heard from Dagan and Leah yet about when we are starting on the garage this weekend. Today or tomorrow, I hope. :)

Got so warm and humid yesterday that I had to shut the place up and turn the AC on. Might have to today, too. Sticky--lower 80s. Supposed to be cooler tomorrow--68 for a high. It cooled off in the evening, not supposed to rain--so I opened it up. But it did rain last night! I checked and doesn't look like anything much came in or got on the porch chair cushions--nothing felt wet. So much for the weathermen--again. I guess I should just cover the chair every night, as usual, and keep the living room windows shut at night, too. Never trust a weatherman--or a meteorologist, for that matter.

Well, this will be a productive and painful weekend if everything goes as planned. :) So--if I miss a day of blogging, you'll know why. But I'll be thrilled that the garage is getting taken care of--finally! Tada! So, if I don't post--just know I am sore but happy. :):)

Thursday-9am

This is a little blurry, but here's Karma watching me play Bejeweled2.

Dagan, Leah, and I were supposed to drive down to Minneapolis this weekend for a long overdue visit. Well, I am just not physically up to it. These new pills are slowly helping, but I haven't been on them long enough, I guess. Which is too bad, because sleeping regularly at night has me feeling pretty decent painwise and exhaustionwise. :( Well, my aunt, Mary Lou, and sister, Renee, will probably drive up here to Fargo in October for a visit since we didn't make it down! Traveling is just difficult for me--in many ways.

Since we'll be home and Dagan and Leah had freed up the weekend--we are going to work on my garage. Clean, sort, organize, and get it ready so that I can actually park PitaPaseo in the garage. I should be able to call for a pick-up next week--tada! It is a disaster area right now! Been used as storage for over three years. I'll try to get some pictures. :) Dagan and Leah said they have some metal shelving I can use in the garage, too! Nice!!

Dagan brought the DVD player and hooked it up yesterday over his lunch break. He didn't bring the remote. I figured out how to program all three (TV, VCR, DVD) into the Universal remote!! But--then found out that the arrow buttons don't work for the DVD player on my universal remote. (It was a cheap one and is several years old.) You can only hit play or stop or pause. But if you want to look at specials on a DVD, for example, the buttons don't work to move sideways or up and down. So, I hope they can find the remote. Either that or I'll buy a new universal remote.

This afternoon I have the lady coming from the state agency that sends me Caroline for cleaning. I think her name is Angie (new lady)--just called yesterday, but I am on days and doing okay so I thought we should just meet right away. They come right to your apartment for less then an hour, so no problem. The last lady came once a year (overworked?)--but this lady said she'd be coming every six months. Fine with me. A little company and coffee. Another beautiful day. I'll clear off one side of the craft table... :)

Very windy today. I woke up and several things were blown over on the craft table--so I had to shut those windows. Been warmer than they expected--hitting 80 during the day--but it cools off rapidly. :) So far, they are still saying it won't rain until Monday. I hope they're right if we are out working on the garage. Looks like a perfect weekend for it--so far. :) :)

Wednesday-9:45am

When Dagan came over yesterday he had a little surprise Leah had picked up!

With a clip that works like a charm...
...to keep the button pressed down for you! A green Laser for Karma!!

I had a smaller one that took those little round batteries and was a pain to keep functional. This one takes regular AAA batteries!! Whoppeee!! And now I don't have to press on a button the entire time so that I wear out long before Miss Karma does--(I can't even switch hands)--hehe! Thanks, Leah!!! :):)

Dagan forgot the DVD player yesterday. He's bringing it with him today when he comes back over lunch again. Yesterday he transferred a copy of the brains from my desk computer into the new laptop--and he hooked up the VCR player. I did tape PBS last night with it. Am going to see if it worked today. Having a bigger TV does make a person wish for better reception--hehe!
BUT--they claim that after the big switch-over in February everybody is supposed to get better reception--even those of us with rabbit ears. So, I am going to wait and see. My reception has been worse the past couple months. I keep thinking they are messing with stuff for the switch-over? Or the sun spots are going crazy or something?

I've slowly been finding new places for odds and ends that had to be moved in the furniture switch. Been gorgeous days for reading on the porch. Dagan and I even ate lunch on my little porch yesterday. :) I hadn't been writing letters for almost a week. Spent part of yesterday writing. :) Another beautiful, sunny day again today!! Yippee!! :):)

Tuesday-10am

I wondered what Karma was watching for so long.

Small gang of boys roughhousing--observed for a while. Nobody actually got hurt. Male dominance stuff. Too sad for me to watch, but Karma was fascinated.

Karma loves her Cat TV. I watched Gilmore Girls. We had a quiet day yesterday. I washed clothes and sheets and towels--and that was pretty much it for me. I did find the instructions for the universal remote and got that set up for the big TV--tada!! (Dagan and Leah couldn't find the remote.)

I went out to the garage and located the VCR Leah said they gave me as a back up quite a while ago. It is a VCR only--not a combo with a DVD player. And Dagan is supposed to bring over their DVD only player because they use their XBox now?

Dagan is coming over during his lunch hour today to work on transferring computer brains--and he'll hook up all this stuff for me. too. Including the converter box for the smaller TV in the bedroom--we forgot to do that--if he has time. I think you can hook it up now and not wait until February? anyways, hope everything works! :)

What would I do without Dagan and Leah to help me with all this technical stuff?? I am blessed in so many ways!

Well, the sun is shining this morning and I am off to make stir fry!

Monday-9am

Dagan never came over this weekend? Karma certainly wasn't complaining. We spent a lot of time in the bedroom watching Gilmore Girls--hehe!

I haven't had to cook anything. When Dagan and Leah were here they ordered Chinese and I have been eating fried rice for two days--yummy!

I was good and didn't clean, organize, or put anything away yesterday--R&R day. I definitely need another one. :) This morning is cloudy again--49 degrees. Supposed to get up to 68 today with a little sunshine--and then be sunnier for the next few days. Nice!

Sunday-10:30am

It might not be easy to see, but there's a huge difference between the weight of these two laptops. My old silver Dell feels three times as heavy as Dagan and Leah's old Gateway. I am actually blogging right now on the Gateway! Without a cord--not plugged in--using a battery!! (The battery died in just a few months on my Dell, so all these years I had to plug it in.)

I did set up the folding table again. It looked too blank over there on that wall--hehe!

Found out switching the VCR/DVD players was a bad idea. The one that had been in the bedroom is only capable of recording--neither the VCR or the DVD players work. We had switched them because the one I had in the living room you couldn't record off the TV and watch a DVD at the same time--but--everything does work on that one. So--in order to watch my stuff I had taped (VCR) or DVDs--I spent a lot of yesterday in the bedroom--chuckle! And that meant I had to look at the stack of books on the floor...

...which I could only do for so long. I was sore anyways, right? So--I ended up putting the books back in the bookcase, too. I'll be good today and leave the rest of the smaller stuff alone that needs to be put away.

My one mission--to look for the instruction booklet for the Universal remote I had for the little TV I used to have in the bedroom. The picture tube was going out on that one--but I could still use it to record programs. Only turned it on to set recording times--quickly before the screen began to zig-zag. Dagan won that set in high school. They took it to recyling--the electronics graveyard. I'm sure many of you can relate to dying TVs or VCR/DVD players or computers or digital cameras....*sigh* They don't make things to last aymore. Not profitable.

Anyways--Dagan and Leah cannot find the remote for the big TV. I have only a vague idea where the instruction booklet for my universal remote might be--it wasn't in the first place I looked. Boy--do I miss my good pre-fibro memory! Wish me luck! :)

Saturday-9am

Lots of pictures today! First--this is what happens if I leave the string toys (or anything that reminds her of string) within reach of the little sharp teeth of Miss Karma.

Dagan and Leah were coming to make the furniture switch and bring their old big TV--so most of the day I was doing what I could to get ready for them--moving things out of the way. Karma was fascinated by (and a little hesitant about) the changes.

She always has to check everything out.
Dagan and Leah arrived about 7:30pm. This is one big and heavy TV. Makes you really, really appreciate the new flat screens!!
We had to switch this bookcase and TV/stand in the living room...

...with this dresser in the bedroom. Sorry for the blurry pictures. The camera (besides taking pink and off color pictures) has also started to take consistantly blurry photos so that, even if I take a couple of shots, they might both be blurry. It isn't just me--Leah took a couple of pictures and one was blurry. ??
Anyways, see this small laptop that Leah is working on? I didn't realize that it was an old one that they were reformatting to give to me! Way, way lighter than mine! Might be easier for me to actually use--hehe!
Dagan's very blurry. The other shot was worse. *sigh* He is working at moving the brains from the old computer (he made for me) to this new computer (that he got for free from work). This new computer from work has a spare brain! Two hard drives inside of it! Amazing! Dagan will probably be back this weekend to work on transferring brains from one computer to another and computer to laptop--whatever. :)
Here's the big TV in the living room on the triple dresser (only furniture I had large and sturdy enough to hold it!)--tada!

And now the other TV and bookcase are in the bedroom...
...and I have to put all these books back in the bookcase--hehe!
Dagan and Leah forgot the remote! The manual controls are on the very top of the TV--and it is soooo big that I need a stool to see the buttons--chuckle!
Hopefully they will find the remote and it will come over with Dagan when he works on the computers this weekend. Might see Leah, too. She's on call for her second job, so who knows?

For the first time in like five weeks I was up past 11:30pm--hehe! I didn't get to bed till 1:30am--but was up at 8:15am anyways!! TaDa!!! :):) But--I am just a noodle! A very weak and sore noodle. But a happy one! So--more tomorrow.... :):)