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If-fy day

I have been doing pretty well with my chores around here the past few days. Yes, I have restarted my planner. I have trouble keeping up with the planning thing, but I recall that old adage "Failure to plan is planning to fail". And, for me, that's true. So, circumstances drive me back to the planner time and time again. 

I have a feeling today will not be very successful. My back is really hurting. Have you ever noticed how much of what needs to be done around the house requires bending? For example: making the bed, loading or unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the toilet, cleaning the fridge, putting away the freshly laundered clothes, and on and on. 

Today is one of those days where the only way to escape the pain is to lie down. Sitting hurts, walking hurts, standing still hurts, and so on. And, if I bend, it's a slow and very painful process to straighten up. 

As the weather has started to warm up, I've been back to working outside. That's a lot of bending too. I only do 10 minutes a day, but at the end of that, I am so pain-ridden, I am not sure if I can make it back to the front door to go inside. And, once inside the front door, it's straight to a chair. That way if my legs give out, I won't fall! 

So, I'm going to look long and hard at my planner to see what I CAN do vs. what I'd planned to do. I suspect mucho prayer will be required, no matter what I attempt............

 

 

Just NOT my day......

 I woke up in pain. These days, being well beyond my prime, that's not unusual. But some days, after I'm up and moving around, it fades. No such luck today. I had nothing stronger so I resorted to several ibuprofen, an enhanced dose of potassium, and a heating pad. Eventually I was worn out with trying to cope and I went back to bed. Many times, if I lie down on my right side, I wake up with whatever was out of place and causing the pain having gone back where it belonged and the pain mostly gone. No such luck today. So, it's now almost 9PM and here I sit with the heating pad in place and several ibuprofen in my system. Maybe the pain is less, but I don't think so. And, I don't want to move, not even to find food......... Definitely NOT my day!

poke, poke, poke

You have been through a world of aches, pains, stabs, twitches, etc with me. Are you as tired of it as I am? Sorry to tell you, but we've got a new one.......... My sitter was giving me problems, in spite of my new Cushion Labs split-seat cushion. So, I decided I'd lie down for a little while. Lying down seems to take the pressure off the tailbone and that particular ache diminishes. So, as I was lying there, I began getting little stabs (pokes) of pain from my hips. Geez......what's this? 

It's kind of poke........rest.....poke....rest......poke and it doesn't stop. As you can tell, I'm now at my desk and I'm still feeling those little pokes. It's on the outside of the hip area, down low. Pretty much right where the thigh bone fits into the pelvis. poke......rest.....poke. It's not intense pain, but it IS pain. The fact that it comes and goes makes me think it's muscular. I'm still trying to lay off the NSAIDs as much as I can so I took an extra potassium supplement. And, it's calmed down.

My usual sign that I need some extra potassium is when the muscles around my eye twitch. Instead, this time, I have these "pokes" in 3/4 time. I think I prefer the twitching eye muscles. When the eye twitches, it's irritating and bothersome, but it doesn't hurt. And while the pain from this hip thing isn't horrific, it does hurt. 

Geez, what nest?

 

 

Much ado about tariffs

I've been thinking about this tariff thing. I'm not gonna say these thoughts come from God. It's just me sayin' what I think on MY blog. I pay the fee every month and that gives me the right to say what I think whether or not you agree.

Everyone is talking about tariffs. Most of the talk blows the impact of Canadian and Mexican tariffs on an individual US citizen way out of proportion. Prices have gone up 25% or more over the last 4 years. If the cost of Avocados goes up a few pennies as a result of the tariffs, whatever shall we do?

1) Option 1: Reconsider whether you NEED the product in question. Is it a NEED or a WANT? Can you do without it? If so, take the money you would have spent on it and pay extra on your credit card or put it in a savings account. In other words, go without.

2) Option 2: Buy a cheaper brand. Even if you feel you have to take a couple of minutes to add an extra spice or two, you can do it. In other words, make it do.

3) Option 3: Find an alternative. The other day I made a pasta dish that called for just a bit of diced tomatoes. I didn't want to open a whole can for such a small amount. I grabbed an already jar of pasta sauce and used some of that. I achieved the same effect and it still tasted food. You need a new bumper for your car? Call the local junkyard and see if they have one and what they'll charge you for it as opposed to that new bumper with a tariff on it.

4) Option 4: Be a patriot. So, buying American is a little more expensive than buying a cheap Chinese knock off used to be. For heaven's sake, be grateful for where you live and the blessings that have come with it. Ask yourself: Would you rather buy American, facilitating jobs for your fellow citizens, or would you rather have to come up with more tax dollars for welfare benefits for folks who have lost their jobs? 

5) Option 5: Fogeddaboutit. Put the money into your IRA, 401(k), money market account, favorite mutual fund, or your sock or sugar bowl. any times we really do not need the things we think we do. But, we all know we have to eat, even when we're 67+. And we know the future of Social Security is iffy. Stop the buying. Stop being prideful with regard to the stuff you have and realize that no one buy you may know about your bank balance, you can take courage from that as well as for a new air fryer. 

Something good........

In November 2020, I fell and broke my right wrist. At the time, I also injured my leg, all the way up in the groin area. I could not walk. It caused intense pain when I tried. It was hugely painful just to struggle to the medical potty chair which was about 3-4 steps from my chair. Sure enough, my feet, ankles, and legs began to swell with the inactivity. I quickly ordered a machine called Legxercise which I had seen advertised on TV in the hospital.

I didn't have a lot of hope the machine would help but I was swollen and the swelling was painful. Using the Legxercise machine hurt at first, but sure enough after a couple of days, the swelling began to subside. Shortly, my feet and ankles looked normal and I could actually wear shoes again. Finally, about 9 weeks later I'd built up enough strength to walk to the other end of the house. From there on, the Legxercise sat under my desk, untouched.

About a week ago, I decided to try using it again. I wanted to see if I could strengthen my legs which have never really recovered from the weeks of being more or less confined to a chair. So, for about a week I've used it for at least an hour a day. 

The machine consists of a base topped by two flat sliding "pedals". The feet are placed on the pedals and the pedals move back and forth, similar to what would be a shuffling step if one were standing. There is really no physical effort as the pedals are moved back and forth by electrical power. But, I kind of decided that any kind of movement would be more beneficial than just sitting. I am really sort of shocked, but it's working. I can look at my legs and see a difference. The main difference is in the area of my thighs from the knee to halfway up to my groin. However, I looked in the bathroom mirror yesterday and my thighs in the back, where they intersect my behind, look different, tighter. That seemed unlikely to me--musta been in my imagination. But, later I wedged my hands under my sitter and I could feel some muscle movement as the Legxercise moved my feet back and forth. 

So, it seems with no effort on my part, I'm building some muscle. It seems too good to be true, but I'm thrilled. I figure if these areas look more muscular, tighter, it's reasonable to assume they are. And maybe stronger too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workin' thru

the pain. I don't know what happened, but I woke up today with my back severely out of whack. Everything I try to do hurts--sitting, standing, walking, etc. When I bend, it takes concentration, patience, and effort to stand back up straight. As usual, it's the part just below the waist that hurts.

I've taken my supplements regularly, so my potassium and magnesium levels should be good. So, probably, we'll not see this deteriorate into muscle spasms. I decided early on that if I was going to accomplish anything today, I was going to have to take some ibuprofen. I can't say it's done much to reduce the pain level.... So, the challenge of the day is how much I can get done, workin' through the pain.

Last night I pulled together a big pot of Turkey Corn Chowder. I had intended to use chicken, but I had a pint jar of home-canned turkey sitting out which I had intended to use for something else. I also have a whole lot more turkey broth than chicken, so turkey became the meat of choice. I used a quart and a half of broth.

I used a pint of home-canned turkey bits, leftovers, canned and preserved for future use. I had about 3/4 of a quart of dehydrated potatoes, the "southern style" hash browns. Also pulled 2 cans of corn off the pantry shelf and grabbed some dehydrated chopped leeks. I also added a little bit of dehydrated spinach for color and a bit of nutrition, and about 3 pints of water.

The corn cost about $.80 a can. I got the leeks on extreme special. I think $1.00 is more than a generous estimate for the leeks. The potatoes cost right at $3.00 and I have to take just a wild guess on the turkey. I know that it was purchased on a Thanksgiving special a couple of years ago. Couldn't be more than $2.00. The broth was made by me from turkey bones (trash) and water so no cost there. 

I figure about $7.80, all in all. I had one large serving last night. I'm having another tonight. After that I figure 5-6 servings for the freezer, making the cost of an entree about $1.00. That's my kind of budget meal!  i wonder what other kind of cheap soup I can cook up........

And the good news is that throughout the evening my back "popped" and the pain was pretty much eliminated. 

How much can this belt go?

I sat down and went through the budget about 6 weeks ago and I decided I had to figure out how to spend less. I've cut so much, I'm pretty much running out of places to cut.

I just changed auto insurance companies and gave up some elements of coverage I did NOT want to give up. I had hoped that would make a bigger difference, but it ended up saving me about $40 a month. Well, that sounds better if I describe it as almost $500 a year.......... I'm grateful for the savings no matter what. 

My health plan offers a benefit of $40 a quarter for OTC "medical" stuff. I used it once several years ago and then they changed their website and I couldn't get into it. But, yesterday, I spent 45 minutes on the phone with their customer service people and we finally got my new card "activated". Then I went to CVS with my list of supplements and OTC products. It just so happened that I found 2 of 6 supplements with a buy one/get one free offer. So, I picked up 2 magnesium and 2 vitamin b12. I also found an OTC product I use frequently and that was on special for buy one/get one half off. That blew my $40, but that's $40 I don't have to spend on Amazon anytime soon. That'll help......

I am looking at needing to chop the grocery bill again. I had decided I was going to eat from what I have in the house for as long as I could. But, I've been screwing up with that. It was my intention to take the 4 cans of baked beans I own and spread them out over several weeks. But, what I've done is to turn around and buy a replacement can (but, truthfully, I bought 2 replacement cans). Wrong! I want to eat what I have and not replace anything til I have only 1 can left. Then I can buy 1 can. I have to change the way I shop. I cannot buy what is on sale just because I know I'll eat it someday. I really need to eat from what is in the fridge, the freezer, and the pantry and limit what I buy. I need to limit my purchases to things like bread, milk, eggs, and maybe some fresh fruit and veggies. I have to stick to this somehow. But, if I can do it, it will be a big relief for my checking account.

 

Christmas

Well, it's Christmas Day. I'm wearing my snowman sweat shirt with the shiny snowflakes. I'm drinking coffee from my red cup. Those are the only two signs of Christmas around here except for the gratitude and peace in my heart. We are all so blessed that Christ took on human form and came to this earth to ultimately be sacrificed for our sins.

It's been very quiet around here today and I am fine with that. I had hoped to make a lot of progress in the house today, but that was fantasy. The reality is that my back is bothering me a lot. It's not the muscle spasms I used to get. it's just an unending "toothache" in my back. I've done what I know to do for it and it hasn't helped. I managed to do a few things around here, but nothing to brag about. It'll be a while 'til i go to bed--maybe I can do a bit more. We shall see.

I hope you've had a fine Christmas. Most people, on Christmas Day, look forward to good food shared with beloved family, and presents that are just what you needed or wanted. If that is the kind of day you had, you are truly blessed. Remember to say "Thanks" to the good Lord...........

Interesting Statistic

If one looks at real prices for items--2000 vs. 2024, we would find that the real inflation rate for those 24 years is 146%. Now what about the COLAs for that time period. Well, for the same 24 year period, Social Security recipients have received COLAs amounting to 81%. Therefore, over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, we've lost 64.8%. Ask pretty much any Social Security recipient and they will tell you that things just get worse and worse. Maybe those folks didn't have the % figured to the tenth of a percent, but they do have personal recollections of what they were paying for a loaf of bread, a gallon of gas or heating fuel, or a month's rent. They would all tell you that there is no more fat to cut from their budgets. 

I personally would be so grateful if I could get back to a "zero based budget". In reality I am in a negative position every stinking month. If it were not for God's promises of provision, my mental and emotional state would be absolutely awful  All those expenses that I pay for every month are coming out of a small and ever dwindling savings account...........

What is a "zero based budget"? It is a system in which one looks at all the expenses one is likely to encounter over the period and either pays them or saves for them. For example, one pays the electric bill. But, I own a vehicle. I have 2 newish tires and 2 that are very old. The probability that I will need to replace a tire in 2025 is very high. As best I can tell, I could expect to spend around $180 on a tire. Therefore, I "should" be saving monthly about $15 so that when that tire dies, I can buy a new tire without panic. In essence I should be saving for every potential expense I could encounter. My previous HVAC system lasted 23 years. In a perfect world, I would be saving, monthly, enough to replace the "new" system in about 5 years. I desperately need a haircut, but if I just go out and get one, even the cheapest will have to come out of the money I have left in my tiny stash of cash to spend on groceries a few years from now because I am currently unable to fund that out of savings, even though I've known for some time that I will eventually HAVE to breakdown and get a haircut. 

I don't know if all that makes sense. I just know that I've done everything I know to do to slow the outflow of money. Dave Ramsey would say if you can't afford your mortgage payment, move. I've looked at that. I have a basic disagreement with the concept of rent. But, I've looked online. I've been in my house a long time so compared to the cost to rent an apartment these days, my mortgage payment is cheaper. Dave's answer to that would be "move to a cheaper area of the country". Well, I could move to some small town in Arkansas or Alabama, but I am concerned that the touch of arthritis that flares up from time to time would be much worse in those humid climates..........

 

Well, I did it........

I told you in my last post about the pain I am dealing with. I also told you I thought there was something out there, a cushion, that would help. However, I was having trouble with the price. I've been eyeballing this thing for months. So, I'm very familiar with prices and terms. It was supposedly up to 40% off a regular price of $85. It would ship on a business day and could be expected to arrive in 2 -5 business days thereafter.  So, the asking (sale) price was $66. On top of that would be tax and shipping. Previously, the "regular" price was shown as $72. I didn't like that they were playing games with the "regular" price in order to make the "sale" price look better. 

Lo and behold I found the cushion (same manufacturer/same cushion) on Amazon in the color I'd hoped for for $58 with free shipping overnight. So, by the time I am awake, it is supposed to be here, meaning we can begin to see if it's going to help right away. And that little miracle is part of the free shipping. Not to mention the additional savings on the purchase price. Whoopie! Now, let's pray it brings relief. 

UPDATE: GAME CHANGER! Oh, Glory Be! It was on my front porch, waiting for me when I got up. It was a tussle getting it open and unwrapped. I've been sitting on it for about 45 minutes now and I have NO pain! As long as it doesn't fall apart tomorrow, I'm going to be happy, very happy with this purchase!