Cold Weather Here In Tulsa
I don’t know what the weather is in your neck of the woods. But we have very cold weather here in Tulsa.
A few days ago it was hot and now it’s gone all the way in the other direction. This morning it is 16 degrees as I write this post. And the weather report online says it feels like it’s 2 degrees.
Ivy is watching what’s going on outside on the patio. She likes to watch the squirrels run along the fence.
Gracie’s Climbing Phase:
Gracie is all over the place. She is in a climbing phase right now.
I’ve got boxes and all kinds of stuff on the floor preparing for the move. And she winds and climbs through all these things.
I fear she will knock over a small lamp on my desk. If I had anywhere safe to move it, I would. But I look around me and there’s just chaos galore.
I will hear a crash and rush to see what on earth she’s toppled over.
The other day it was the toilet brush in its ceramic holder. Thankfully it didn’t break into pieces, just broke off a piece at the top.
I have scooted it against the wall behind the toilet to keep it safer. There are no keeping things totally safe from a prowling kitty cat.
Ivy Seems Needier Lately:
Ivy is acting needier lately, and I’m trying to give her lots and lots of attention.
For the last two nights, while I’m in bed reading, around 9 to 10 p.m., I heard her start to meow. I looked up and she had one of those red and white curtain tie-backs hanging from her mouth.
I don’t know what the fascination is with those curtain tie-backs. But she’s been carrying them around since she came to live here over 3 years ago.
I pick them up occasionally and put them in their red Rubbermaid toy box. (Actually, it’s just a Rubbermaid tub like one would use for washing dishes.)
Packing To Move:
I haven’t really packed all that much yet. There’s no place to put any more boxes. Many are lying around empty. Some have seasonal items inside.
I have a friend, Teri, who lives just outside Tulsa who reads my blog. She called me when she first found out I was moving and offered to help pack things up.
Oh, do I need help! So yes I took her up on her nice offer.
With my ankle slowing me down and keeping me from lifting much, I really needed that phone call. I’m so grateful to her for offering to help me.
Teri came and picked up all my house plants early on and took them to her house to get them out of the way. And thankfully, she has a great big pickup that will come in mighty handy.
Since there’s really no room to do much inside my apartment, she’s planning on coming over and helping to pack everything up in a few weeks. I’m nervous that we’re waiting kind of last minute, but Teri says we can get it done.
I have been decluttering and throwing things away. It’s amazing what one can acquire in 8 years.
I get the apartment keys on January 25, then the moving truck comes on the 26th. And I have until the end of January to get everything transferred to the other place.
I sure don’t look forward to all this when my ankle is giving me grief, but move I shall, one way or the other. You may recall that I moved here in my walking boot 8 years ago, and I’ll probably be wearing it for this move as well.
Getting My Car Checked Out:
I took my Pathfinder in to be checked out and have a few things done this past week.
There was a light that stayed on that indicated my tires were low. So I got that fixed. It makes me nervous when lights are on and I don’t know if the tires are low or not.
They checked my brakes. I’ve only had one end (front or back I can’t recall) replaced. the guy who worked on it said I still didn’t need the other end done yet.
It’s an old car (2006) and I bought it with 500 miles on it back in Texas. I’ve put 55,000 miles on it.
I only live about 3-4 blocks from there, so they had a guy drop me off at home. Then after they were through with my car he came back and picked me up.
So that’s one box that can be checked off the list of things to be done.
I’ve done lots of packing and don’t mind doing it. In fact, like your friend, I’ve helped others pack and label their stuff. You will be surprised how fast it goes once you get the green light to go. At that point you won’t be concerned about the mess or what you can’t find, it will just be good to see packed and sealed boxes stacked up. And then off you go! So glad for you!
Teri is a good friend! Everything will get done, and move you will!
Also to add to your package bath tissue, paper towels and paper plates. Those first few nights can be rough. Excited to see your new place and what magic you create.
Thank you Teri for helping Brenda!
Thank goodness for your friend, Teri, and her willingness to help you move. Moving can be so exhausting and unsettling. But I’m hoping after you get situated in your new place that you will be so glad to have done it. Never having to deal with the horrible management where you are is going to be such a relief I’m sure. And the kitties will be fine even though it may take a bit of time for them to acclimate to the new space. I predict everything will go smoothly and then you can relax and enjoy making the new space your own. And that will be fun for all of us to share.
Brenda, thank goodness you will be having help to move, I was worried about that. Take it slow and easy, it will all get done.
One tip, make a box with your coffee maker, can opener, sheets, and whatever else you want to have to use the first night or two that you are in the house. Label it and place in your car.
Have a great night. Happy New Year.
Yeah, I’m planning to do that. Thanks for the tip.
Glad you have someone to help you move.
You shouldn’t still be having these ankle problems and pain after all these years. Something isn’t right. Have you ever gotten a second opinion? Had a MRI done?
Gracie reminds me of my friend’s two kittens – sisters that are 9 months old, adopted from a shelter a few months ago. They are so naughty…my friend teasingly calls them Mayhem and Mischief. They are into everything, climb everything (including her curtains), jump on top of everything, and knock everything down. One of them managed to jump to the top of a high cabinet and knock off a very heavy piece of pottery she had up there. I remember when Monkey was a kitten. He destroyed all my plants, either by eating them or knocking them off tables and dressers, etc – wherever they were.
Unbelievable that you only have 55k miles on your car! I thought my mileage was low with 10,000 miles per year. Brian’s car has a ton of miles on it since he travels quite a ways to and from work. His 2008 Corolla has 275k miles on it!
This surgeon I now see is my second opinion. And he was the surgeon who did ankle surgery in 2014. Another surgeon put me back together in 2012. We’re going to do an MRI, but I’m waiting until after Feb. 1 when I am on Medicare. That’s funny about the kittens.
Brenda, I’ve mention this before, I know that your ankle fracture was severe, but it should not be this painful so many years later. I’m a chiropractor and experienced with this kind of thing. You may have an infection hidden inside of a bone or a chip somewhere causing problems. Perhaps you need a second opinion from a different doctor who will investigate it further. This should not be so much for problem at this stage. And it doesn’t matter how old you are.
I figured out the other day that my walking boot didn’t have hardly any air in it. So I stopped wearing it Friday. I’m taking it with me to PT tomorrow and having them see if I need another boot. I don’t know why it’s been this bad. I told the PT therapist about a week ago that if I’d had any idea how bad it would still be after 10 years, I don’t know if I could have stood that.
This may have been discussed before about the kitties, but I just cannot remember for sure. Have you tried the plug in Feliway (cat calming thing for Ivy? Was thinking the other day that placing them in rooms of the new place might help with the transition for both cats, and perhaps now while packing.
I have a 2002 Toyota Camry that I had purchased new and took very good care of with regular maintenance, etc. It has had brakes replaced, battery replaced, and of course tires. Two years ago I had two major and expensive belts replaced. The car has has always run well and never broken down on the road. It has just over 135,000 miles on it. I plan on keeping it until 200,000. Right now the check engine light is on. and neither the dealership or independent mechanics have anything come up on their diagnostic machine. They reset the light to off, and
10 minutes down the road it is back on. All these electronics make me nervous. So is there something wrong with my car, or not?
The temperature here has been fluctuating wildly. One day in the upper 70’s, then down to the 50’s! My joints and bones are really talking to me.
We kept my older Honda Accord – a 2001 – as a backup car, and the check engine light on that stays on all the time, too. Our mechanic said it was an emissions problem. Sorry, can’t remember exactly what part of the emissions it was. To pass the emissions test here in my state, the mechanic would have to reset it, we’d have to drive the car approx 100 miles which was a real pain in the butt, then go get the emissions test. It always then passed. Then the light would go on again soon after that.
Are they sure it isn’t the light that is bad? That’s what mine was, but I would have thought they’d figure that out pretty fast. Mine was on for months and only finally went off when they replaced that indicator light on the dash. The guy who drove me home and back to the shop asked if I would sell it to him because it runs so well. He’s been trying to find a used car for 4 months and can’t. And said his dad sells cars. Mine has some minor dents and scrapes. But the car, like yours, has never left me at the side of the road.
Brenda while you are waiting to do the bulk of your packing perhaps you could use the next couple of weeks to do the paperwork side of moving, i.e., pick up the change of address form from the post office for forwarding your mail, notify your utilities, make a list of all the people and businesses who will need your new address, including the Motor Vehicle Commission, IRS, Social Security, etc. Don’t forget to print or order new address labels too. When I moved last year I found a couple really good checklists online that were very helpful. It will give you a sense of accomplishment to know that the “business” side of moving is completed and maybe help you feel less overwhelmed.
I found out I could do a change of address online, and should do it around two weeks before moving.
The address change is on line here. The indicator for low air in the tires on my car came on each time the weather was cold. Stay warm and happy.
Mine did too. But it always went back off when I had air checked or put in. Finally though, it stayed on and wouldn’t go off.
So glad Teri is helping you. Just the fact she took the plants for you is wonderful. Now you don’t have to worry about movers harming them. Before you know it will be over and you will be ensconced in your new home. Don’t forget
to keep bedding in a box that you can find quickly so you can make up your bed.
I already thought about having things I’ll need that night to be kept in something I will have on hand. I’ve purchased zippered storage bags and will have those put separate in my car.
And oh, she took about 30 house plants to her house. I put them outside when I got Gracie, just as I did the first year I had Ivy. Ivy stopped being interested in them, so I got some more. I don’t know what Gracie’s reaction will be to house plants yet. I was afraid to bring them back in before it got so cold, so Teri rehomed them for now.
I love your Ivy and Gracie posts. Ivy with the curtain ties cracked me up. They are beautiful cats with beautiful hearts. Very precious. I’m glad you have them.
Oh, I do love my kitties!
Glad you found a near by friend to help you pack things up for your move. That will help you so much. Happy New Year.
Oh, I am so grateful to her.
I have a 2004 GMC Envoy with 187,000 miles on it. Maintenance is the key. I want to get to 250,000 but since the pandemic started I haven’t driven it much. I retired just before the pandemic started and about 2 weeks before the company I worked for declared bankruptcy and sold parts off while laying off people.
I love your patio space but I’m also glad you are able to move to a new place. The kitties will have so much fun with all the boxes and new home. My cats were always ok after the move once they realized I wasn’t leaving them.
Stay warm!
60,000 miles total on your vehicle – that’s nothing! One of my friends sold her old car when it had 110,000 miles on it and got good money for it because of its overall condition, this was in 2014. She did take care of the car, making sure it got maintenance as needed and she kept records so she knew when to take it in for an oil change (not something she did herself), made sure she replaced tires, got tune-ups, etc. The best (but maybe a difficult) thing is to find a good mechanic/car repair place with people you trust, or have a friend who understands how cars operate who can go with you (if you’re a woman) because unfortunately some outfits will assume that a woman has less knowledge of how cars operate overall and can therefore take advantage by pressing for “repairs” that aren’t needed. I’m happy you’ll have a blog reader helping you pack up and move, and that you’ll have several days to take items/clothing, etc. over to the new apartment after the movers come and go on the 26th. It’s always a chore and you may be down to the wire, but it will all get done. The main thing is to not overdo it physically and make your ankle worse. Hard to do, I know. We got snow here overnight, unfortunately with drifting from strong winds I have a foot of snow piled up along the area I use in my driveway for a walkway. I’ve done two shoveling bouts and will do a third later on, and more tomorrow. The key to staying fit as one gets older is to keep moving 🙂 So I make sure I move daily, even when I really don’t want to.
I want to do things like that and be active. But I’m unable to do much due to my ankle. It’s all I can do to walk down four apartments to the dumpster with my trash.
My low tire light came on a few months ago in Colorado and I went to Sam’s Club and had the very nice young man take care of it in 3 minutes. My daughter said that this will probably happen whenever the weather becomes cold the first time in the season. The light went out immediately so i think she was right. How nice to have a helpful friend.
I could do that for a certain length of time, but finally the computer or whatever that runs those lights completely goes out. Never would go off recently. They told me there were four lights and each was about $100 to replace. Thankfully, I only had to pay for that one.