The Visit

Attila just drove off, heading north. He drove down on Friday night, and stayed two whole nights! We celebrated my birthday yesterday. It wasn’t my birthday yesterday, but we won’t be together on my birthday this year, so yesterday was my virtual birthday. We had a lovely, quiet day, sharing a pizza and a movie. The movie was very good, What We Did On Our Holiday, with a star studded cast including Billy Connolly.

Attila also did a few little projects while he was here. He installed a shelf in the bathroom, on which I will place an air cleaner. We don’t have a vented fan, and in such a small house we want to be able to contain and control odours in the bathroom. The electronic air cleaner works very well. After installing the shelf Attila tried to plug in the air cleaner, a two pronged plug. Well, the NEW and not-so-clever design of child proof electrical outlets are also ADULT PROOF! We, neither of us, could manage to plug the appliance into the wall socket. It is a ridiculously designed safety feature that has a “shutter” to prevent children from sticking things into the outlet. The thing is, the one we purchased, an expensive item, prevents anyone from inserting a two pronged plug into the wall. Attila had to turn off the power, remove the specialized plug, and install an old one that we had. Finally, after over an hour of work, we could plug the air cleaner into the wall.

Another project Attila tackled was cutting a piece of outdoor carpeting to fit the front deck, which was quite slippery with the snow and ice on the painted wood. The carpet works very well, to provide solid footing for walking to and from the front door. Now I need to figure out something for the steps, they are still slippery.

Then it was time for Attila to gather up his belongings and pack the car for his trip home. It is easy to go from the me to the we, but saying goodbye, and going through the transition from the we to the me, is always hard. I will see Attila again in three weeks, which is an improvement, as we hadn’t seen each other for almost a month when he arrived Friday.

After Attila left I spent a good deal of time on the financial statements, and sorting through the mail. I take care of our paperwork, all of it but for the taxes; Attila takes care of the tax returns. The paperwork arrives at the country house, and Attila brought it down for me on Friday.

I have also taken on a pro-bono job redesigning a web site for the church that a close friend of mine belongs to. They do a lot of community work, so I want to support their efforts. They use their money for those less fortunate, so the payment I would have received will go towards their charities. It is an interesting project, and it is the kind of thing that I do as “volunteer” work, and it is how I contribute to the larger community. I think it is just as important as stuffing envelopes, or cleaning, or selling raffle tickets, or any of the traditional ways that volunteers are put to use.

I have discovered my own confusion. The local hospital has booked me for both physiotherapy, and an appointment with a surgeon, in the nearby city hospitals. I guess I wasn’t supposed to find my own physiotherapist. I will be attending the appointments arranged for me at the hospitals, and will not return to the physiotherapist that I have already visited. I deliberately did not make a future appointment at my first visit, and told them that I was waiting for the results of my hospital assessment. No harm done.

Now I have a familiar place for future physiotherapy if it is needed close to home.

The exercises have helped to reduce the pain, and increase my mobility. I still cannot go for a walk, but I can get around the house without experiencing pain in my knee.

After a lovely weekend, it is time to return to my quiet daily routines, which carry me through the days until I see Attila once again.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

Country House
-18°C
Date: 7:00 AM EST Sunday 25 January 2015
Condition: Mainly Clear
Pressure: 101.2 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: -17.5°C
Dewpoint: -19.6°C
Humidity: 84%
Wind: NNW 15 km/h
Wind Chill: -26

Little House in the City
-14°C
Date: 7:00 AM EST Sunday 25 January 2015
Condition: Clear
Pressure: 100.9 kPa
Tendency: rising
Visibility: 24 km
Temperature: -13.5°C
Dewpoint: -19.1°C
Humidity: 63%
Wind: NNW 26 km/h
Wind Chill: -23

Quote

“My parents taught me how to listen to everybody before I made up my own mind. When you listen, you learn. You absorb like a sponge-and your life becomes so much better than when you are just trying to be listened to all the time.”
Steven Spielberg