We went to visit my husband at the nursing home this morning. As visits go, this was a pretty good one. He seems to be comfortable, and was happy to see us. He made sense most of the time, except didn’t remember that we were in Chiang Mai, and thought the trip here was still ahead of us. He was confused about a lot of things, but not upset. He seemed interested in what we were telling him and liked looking a pictures on our phones.
He pulled out his nasal tube three times yesterday and his hands were in hard plastic ‘bags’ to keep him from pulling it out again. We tried to explain to him that if he eats and drinks enough without choking, they probably will be able to remove the tube. It’s heartbreaking that he will probably never be able to ‘come home,’ barring a miracle, but I’m very grateful that we found a place who calls him, “Pa,” and his nurse thinks the fact he is stubborn is an endearing quirk.
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KinderCare
I’m back to painting the sketches in my sketchbook and having a great time. I’m carrying the Christmas cards I painted so that I can give them out as I see people. The rest will be given when we will go to a party hosted by the family who ‘adopted’ Harvey and me as honorary grandparents. We keep showing Harvey pics of their son and daughter, but he probably won’t see them in person. By the end of the year, I may fill up this first sketchbook. I think I’m making some progress in trying to learn to draw what I see better. I have a lot of fun trying, and I have a 2nd book to start when this one is finished.
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My dolphins jigsaw puzzle may be more of a challenge than I can handle. I’m making extremely slow progress on it. The change of my chair to one that rolls around, though, is great. I can now roll up to one side or the other and see better what I’m trying to do. Brian is happy I’m slow because each time I finish a puzzle, he takes a picture of it and orders a print made of it on glass that I put on my ‘statement’ shelf in my living area. He teases me, griping about the cost of the glass prints. I have two so far…. 😛
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Today is ‘old lady yoga stretches’ day. I did my mile walk on the treadmill at the gym this morning, and will spend a good long time (30-45 minutes) with the yoga stretches. I’m adding a couple of new moves to my practice, as Brian has suggested some things that concentrate on my core more. I will also do the Internet balance exercises and may dance a bit, if I don’t run out of time…
Pngtree
I’m finally within about 5 pounds or so of my weight loss goal. I hit a new low this morning (hoooooraaaaaaay!!!!!!) I will see where I am and how I’m feeling with the loss of 5 more pounds and then decide if I want to go for 5 more. I want to be to the place I can maintain my eating, being able to splurge at times without guilt, enjoy getting some jeans that fit (I’ve taken in the waist of the ones I’m wearing three times now), and concentrate on my exercising – working on flexibility, balance and core strength, as well as trying to build up my arm strength.
After getting back from the gym, our day had a bit of a scary start –
I was waiting for Brian to text me to join him for breakfast. All of a sudden someone was trying to get into my place! I was worried it was someone drunk who was at my door by mistake. I yelled ‘who is it?’ and it was BRIAN.
He had texted me on our usual phone app, but I had not answered and had not appeared as usual. He got worried and came to my door. He discovered the extra key he thought worked on my door DIDN’T. I knew he thought I had done something to my phone that caused the problem.
We had breakfast and then he looked at both our phones. I’m kind of doofus and was afraid I had it set wrong somehow. It turned out that the problem is in the APP, not ME! It wasn’t sending audible signals as it always does. Brian is trying to figure out the problem and see if he can get it fixed. Meanwhile, I will get a VISUAL signal if I’m at the computer, or I can check manually about the time he usually texts for one reason or another and get a message that way. I hope it gets fixed quickly, as we rely on it.
It is on the maintenance guy’s list to change the locks on Brian’s door and mine, and they will have the same key, so at least we will be able to get in and out of each other’s doors, if needed.
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We are having a quiet day today. Brian will work at home until he has to get out of Khun Nong’s way when she comes to clean his place. He’ll work at the cafe and then bring dinner here.
I’m planning to finish blog posts, and then puzzle, paint, and read. 🙂🧩🎨📖
I did 3 more Christmas cards, just in case. I have one more person on my list I haven’t found yet. The rest are for people I SHOULD have listed, but didn’t or who might be at a Christmas gathering of some kind.
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I’m enjoying the ‘great window opening’ at my place this afternoon. It’s 82 degrees and slightly overcast today. It’s a wonderful day for opening up, airing out, and enjoying the beautiful weather. The cross breeze is really energizing and I’m loving it!
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I got a haircut this morning, so I’m looking less like a dandelion-gone-to-seed than I was. This man does a good job. He’s getting the fact that I only want to quickly wash it in the shower each morning after my workout and blow it dry. No rollers, no styling, no gels, no spray. Just clean hair that looks like someone had a plan.
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We’re having some trouble getting around the past couple of days. There is no holiday as such happening now. The tourist season is in full swing, but it has been since around the first of November. I’m not sure what’s going on, but we’re having to build in more time to get where we’re going, since we have to wait longer than usual to get a GRAB.
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The visit to Harvey yesterday was pretty good. He seemed to like the picture I painted for him. I was going to replace his birthday picture with the Christmas picture, but his nurse insisted I just add the Christmas picture to the wall. She indicated that I could cover the whole wall with pictures in time if I wanted to. Is she a wonderful person, or what!
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I hope that you’re having a fun day wherever you are, that you’re safe from ugly weather, and that you’re surrounded by those you love.
We are going to visit Harvey at the nursing home this morning. Brian is taking some grape drink and a pineapple pie (Harvey’s current favorites) and I’m taking the Christmas picture above. I’ll replace his birthday picture with this one.
I also painted this sketch yesterday. I’m really enjoying the new chair Brian got for me. It’s really comfortable. I scoot around a lot, reach for things, move things around as I sketch and paint, then refine the sketches. The chair is wonderfully comfortable and makes my time in my alcove even more enjoyable!
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My jigsaw puzzle is coming along slowly. I’m having a good time working on it when I can make the time. I especially love being able to leave it out ready to work on, rather than having it ‘bother’ anyone to have the ‘mess.’
I’m also delighted that I’m safer and much more comfortable since I moved the old art alcove chair to be my puzzle chair and we got rid of the older wooden one. I can actually roll around two the two sides of the puzzle now. It makes it easier to see that I don’t have the piece I need and say a couple of bad words… 😜
Brian has dubbed me “Goofus” of the “Goofus and Gallant” cartoon series that appears in Highlights Magazine for Children. I had never heard of it and so looked it up this morning. I’ll explain more in another post. Suffice to say that I’m loving this part of my relationship with our son. He insults ME and I tease and tickle HIM. We have so much fun
We just tried to go visit Harvey. We wanted to go today because Fridays are super-busy for us. I just wrote the post about the Yi Peng Lantern Festival and the Loy Krathong Festival. Apparently, the fact that the 2nd night of both festivals is tonight makes traveling anywhere really challenging. We ordered a Grab and then information came up while we were standing outside, saying they would charge more than twice the normal fare one way and that our wait time would be ridiculous. So what is a wonderful celebration tonight is not without problems for us today. We will go visit Harvey tomorrow.
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These are my latest painted sketches.
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Pixabay
I finished “Next of Kin: Rebel Ridge Book 1” the Sharon Sala book I told you about. I enjoyed it and would recommend you check her out. Now I’m re-reading “Watercolor Dreams” by R.G. Ryan, which is technically the first book in his Jake Moriarity series, though I just finished the “Prequel: The Last Happy Summer” that came out recently. I am looking forward to re-reading the 6 books I have and then getting more.
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I have rolled up towels on my window sills, hoping to contain whatever leaks I get from still more rain. I hope the rain doesn’t make the celebrations tonight impossible.
Isn’t this the cutest thing ever? I laughed when I saw it and had to share.
One nice thing that happened when we were at the visa place this morning was that the lady who always helps us said a bunch to Brian in Thai. Of course, I didn’t understand, and just smiled at her when she smiled at me.
Later, when we were outside waiting for our ride, I asked Brian what she had said. He told me she said that I looked good. She saw that I had lost weight. She liked my haircut and said I looked happy. 😊
Later still, when we were at the nursing home, the manager of the place spoke to Brian. I assumed that she was telling him something about Harvey, but it turned out she had noticed I had lost weight and said I looked good.
Two people there asked if I was feeling better, showing you how NICE Thai people are.
Makes me want to redouble my efforts to lose the last of my extra lard and continue exercising! 💪🏻
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen
I have read so many things about people ‘looking for happiness.’ If they just have _______________ (fill in the blank), they’ll be happy. They look to someone else to provide it for them. They look everywhere and unfortunately don’t find it. Their lives end with them still reaching for it.
One thing I have learned is that – as Leonard Cohen has said – a crack lets the light in.
As we all know, life is not perfect. We are all surrounded by life’s ‘cracks,’ things that might even bring us to our knees, thinking there is no way we’ll have light in our lives again. The thing I’ve learned is that the light comes from within you – as your strength does to live with life’s cracks. I can always see or sense people who have learned this. There is a deeper, more knowledgeable, more forgiving look in their eyes. We communicate immediately, acknowledging that knowledge and strength with no words needed.
When we discover we have ‘something’ inside that helped us so much, we must do several things: one – recognize the light; two – do everything we can to make that light shine brighter and brighter within us, making us grateful for all we have; and three – share that light with others. Offering it is the important thing. They may not be ready for it, but the fact that you’re there, and you care, IS the important thing.
My former mother-in-law was the role model for me.
When she and my father-n-law were in the process of moving to an assisted living facility, we were driving there together. I asked her how she felt about the move. She immediately answered, “I’m going to love it.” My surprise must have shown on my face, because she went on to say, “This will be my new home. I will make it mine. I will meet people, join activities, make it a wonderful place to be.” AND. SHE. DID.
She brought the light within her to all she met at the assisted living place. People were drawn to her because of her loving nature, her wide smile, her enjoyment of each day. She embraced her light, made it burn brightly, and passed it on to others.
Goodman Family Dentistry
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou
I hope you’re enjoying these Halloween posts. Finding the really creative children’s costumes parents are making, plus gathering the wonderful Jack-O-Lanterns people are creating – and sharing them with you – is going a long way in not being able to participate this year.
In a Japanese zoo, pandas get their favorite red leaves brought to their cage to lift their spirits. Watching their joy is absolutely heartwarmingpic.twitter.com/86ZRWOcLAZ
After our errands this morning, my son asked me which art gallery I would like to visit. I chose a place named Kaew Gallery, which is near the old part of the city. I had looked at their website, seen several photos of the type of products they sell, and decided I would love to see them in person.
True to their photos, the shop was beautifully laid out with souvenirs, post cards, prints, jewelry, and more, but the main focus was on original art. My mind was boggled on the first pass through, so I gathered my impressions and was determined to take a more careful look the second time.
My son helped me up some pretty steep stairs (for me), and was I glad he did! A painting simply jumped off the wall and into my heart. It was a delicious blend of all the bustle in Chiang Mai, electrical wires strung across buildings and streets, flags and signs, the street crowded with vendors and vehicles – all the things I find fascinating about Chiang Mai, all painted in black and white.
The painting was a vertical rectangle. The bottom third of the painting was the part that captured my heart. Colors simply leaped from the canvas, bringing the city to even more life, adding the human element to this beautiful city. There were a couple of similar paintings on the first floor, but the rectangular shape was perfect for me.
The painting was apparently done by Kaew, the owner of the shop. I’m not sure if she was one of the nice ladies who helped us today, but we couldn’t have gotten better customer service. One lady took payment while the other carefully wrapped our painting so that we could carry it in the trunk of the Grab we called.
Brian helped me figure out where to hang the painting – my first really personal pick for MY place. It makes me happy every time I look at it.
I’ve already talked about some interesting differences between living in the United States and Thailand, but some more come to mind –
When you buy a set of sheets for your bed, you may be surprised to find that a ‘set’ of sheets includes a bottom fitted sheet and two pillow cases.
I told you that we replaced the worn out bed in my condo. We bought a set of sheets and a duvet while we were at the store. When the bed arrived, the company had sent a free entire bed set with it, including a bottom fitted sheet, two pillow cases, and extra set of pillow cases for cigar-shaped pillows, and a puffy duvet.
No one expects a top sheet here. Even if you have air conditioning, the climate here is such – and the culture is such, apparently – that everyone prefers the fitted bottom sheet and a light or heavier duvet. After trying the light duvet we bought and the heavier duvet they gave us, I have to say I LIKE only having only the one sheet, and I prefer the lighter duvet.
When you go to buy dishware, it is almost impossible to find a ‘set of 4 dishware set’ for example. If you would like a set of dishware that has 4 larger plates, 4 smaller plates, 4 bowls, and 4 coffee cups or mugs, that’s what you buy – individually. (We ended up buying 2 of each.) They do sell silverware in a ‘package’ of one fork and one spoon,’ though. You buy how many sets you would like and then buy the knives and any glassware individually, as well.
I think it’s the European manner of eating where you have a utensil in each hand as you eat. They do that here. I had never tried that before and felt quite awkward at first, but I’m learning now. They put down both knife and fork to pick up a spoon, and then reverse.
I believe I have already talked about water being very important here. Brian made it clear right away that you use bottled water for anything to do with eating, drinking, or cooking. The sun is so strong that it seems you can feel the sun burning your head as you wait to cross a street. Everyone carries a bottle of water with them in a carrier of some kind so they always have some. Umbrellas to protect both men and woman from the sun are routinely used by walkers. Dehydration can be a life threatening event even in the city, and can sneak up on you, particularly if you haven’t lived in the country long. I have humongous water jugs on my counter to transfer to smaller containers that are easier to manage.
I’ve already told you about removing your shoes when you enter any private home or many businesses. Most businesses will have a sign, and then a rack of slipper-type slide-on shoes. You leave your shoes there, transfer to the slippers, do whatever business you need inside, and then reverse the process leaving. I mentioned that I was quietly amazed that shoes are always still there waiting for you when you come out again. It’s the same with motorcycles, helmets, and even packages hanging from the handlebars. It would be unthought of for someone to bother someone else’s property. I asked about theft in Chiang Mai. Brian told me it happens, but usually it’s by foreigners…
This is a beautiful photo called, “Echinacea” by @Livvylove.bluesky.social. This simply makes my heart bloom.
My day has been another good one. Brian and I did our workouts at the gym, ate breakfast, regrouped, then went to the mall called, “Maya” (pronounced May-YAH’-ah), getting there soon after it opened at eleven.
I had asked Brian if we could look for a teeny tiny sewing kit so that I could fix a hole in one of my socks. He asked me if I really liked my socks. I told him honestly that they were too much for Thailand, being long and thick, and that I wished I had some shorter, ‘footie-type’ socks that would be better for the climate.
So, off we went to the mall, not for the sewing kit, but for new socks! I’m now the happy owner of several pairs of footie type socks, black, white, and some colors, that should last me the rest of my life. 😃. He’s also asked me several times recently if I wanted some make-up (and I decided maybe I needed to try to spruce up a bit) , so I bought some new foundation, and will use a bit more make up when we’re going out.
Today, before he needed to go to work, Brian showed me how to back up the data on my phone, plus how to back up my computer. I made a lot of notes, and will hopefully be able to do this on my own, backing things up once a week from now on. 💪🏻
I had fun in my art alcove this afternoon, choosing a sweet drawing of a dog’s face peering out of a sheet that surrounded him. Today I used watercolor, but am also enjoying using my colored pencils. I enjoy others’ black and white drawings, but prefer to try to add color to mine.
Tonight Kuhn Nong cleans Brian’s condo, so we’ll make ourselves scarce while she works. We’re talking about either going out to try some of the blander Thai food (I’m a wuss – plus trying to eat low carb) or ordering in and eating at my place. If we stay in, Brian wants to work on strengthening some of my passwords.
I’m not impressing anyone with my progress on my owls jigsaw puzzle. But, as I stood there looking at it, I reminded myself that 1) it doesn’t matter if I only do this one puzzle the rest of my life and 2) it doesn’t bother ANYONE for me to leave it out! THAT makes me grin from ear to ear!
I just started an old Nora Roberts book that I somehow missed and just bought used. I’m already deep into her story, but our days are so busy that I find myself waking up with the book on my chest… (part of that is because I’m still without a sofa until Thursday, and so am spread out on the bed reading.)
Thank you, (cawp coon KAH!) for following my adventures as I learn to live by myself for the first time ever in a beautiful, fascinating country that draws me to it and intimidates me at the same time. What a wonderful opportunity it is to build a life for myself here!
My first ever pedicure was with my husband (also HIS first) just after we moved to Thailand, shortly before his stroke in April. This was followed by my first ever manicure in Laos, when we were in the country for other business.
Today Brian offered to take me to a place where I could get both at one time. Little did I know that when I was looking at prices, HE was telling the ladies to give me the total SPA experience.
The basic thing, of course, was taking off the old polish, giving me the mani/pedi (I’ve never said or typed that before!), but the ‘spa’ portion was the extraordinary adventure. There was a massage chair that really worked on my back until they started painting nails. I had herbal scrubs of my legs and feet, arms and hands, as well as massage of all. My feet were soaked in deliciously hot whirlpool water. Lotion was applied to feet, legs, arms, and hands.
The kindness was what struck me most of all. They seemed to sense that all this attention was new to me, and a gift from my son. They brought us each a bottle of water. They helped me very carefully from the door, into the special slide type slippers after we removed our shoes outside, and over to the chair, helping me get into it without incident, and back again.
They watched me to see if anything was bothering me, and seemed very happy when I smiled the whole time, my cheeks literally hurting by the end of my time there. I said my mangled version of ‘thank you’ in Thai, folded my hands together and bowed. Then THEY were smiling ear to ear.
This was truly a gift – an adventure – a total pampering of one old lady who greatly enjoyed every minute.
I also told Brian that this was over the top on pampering, and that in the future, I would greatly appreciate the joy of their removing the old polish, shaping nails, and applying new polish as the total wonderful service.
I am so lucky to have a son who tries to make his mom happy each and every day. Part of it is to try to make up for the agony of Harvey being in the nursing home – an extremely painful situation. Part of it is the joy of discovering each other as people – that we are growing closer and closer as the days pass, enjoying spending time together. He is sharing some of his favorite places with me. I’m delighted to have such a wonderful guide – seeing so many fascinating things without having to worry about getting lost, if I have enough money, getting transportation, avoiding any possible dangerous parts of the city, just concentrating on the absolute joy of seeing so many new things, the people, the traffic, the flow of the city, the culture showing right in front of my eyes, trying to learn a few Thai phrases, etc. I’m the luckiest woman on the planet!
Today the IKEA guys came and dealt with power tools and 46 gazillion pieces to assemble my chest of drawers.
The drawers not only have side rollers on each drawer, but one in the center of each. The piece is heavy, sturdy – though they did warn us not to have something really heavy in the top drawer and then have all four drawers open at the same time. DUH.
I used my new step stool yesterday to empty the high cabinets in my condo, taking a lot of what I found to the trash and the recycling area.
I spent most of today bagging up my husband’s things, carefully sorting, putting things in bags, labeling the bags carefully, and then storing them in two of the high cabinets I cleaned out in the living room. We will be able to find things needed at the nursing home quickly and easily now, plus it gives me more space to spread out a bit.
This freed up my closet area which I rearranged so I can find my stuff easily without a lot of standing on my head now. I then arranged things in my new chest of drawers.
I pooped myself out with all of this and ended up ‘resting’ for a few minutes, which actually turned out to be an hour’s NAP!
The changes continue, with my old people-swallowing sofa leaving this Friday between 2 and 3pm. This may collide with my wonderful housekeeper, Kuhn Nong; so we’ll be here, ready for the movers before 2, hoping they come and go before 2:30, when Nong is due to start. We will warn her if they haven’t shown up before she arrives.
I will be without a sofa until June 5th – 6 days where my living area will look extremely empty, and I will be moving around, trying to find another comfortable place to sit. 😃. I’ll send pics as soon as the new sofa arrives. This will be the last big change in the condo.
This is the jigsaw puzzle I am trying to put together. I love owls, and the colors this has I think are wonderful.
The very BEST part is that I now have a “jigsaw puzzle table” and the puzzle is OUT, very close to the door, where everyone visiting can see it for as long as I am working on it! I may even coax a person or two to sit down and work on it with me. 🙂
Brian is coming down to pick me up to run errands around 10- 30-ish. We had to wear our “Thailand Rainsuits” again this morning to go to the gym and back for our workout. As we were putting them on before venturing into the downpour, a lady who works at the condo building came out to ask Brian how his dad was. From his gestures, Brian told her that some things were better, but that his dad remains very, very confused at the nursing home. I am so amazed and pleased that people all over the building are so kind and caring to ask. He has obviously made quite an impression here.
When we get finished with our errands, I’m going to spend part of the afternoon using my new step stool to see what is up high in my place. I will get it cleaned out and use it as good storage places.
I think I told you that I have headphones with my computer for the first time ever. Brian got a set for Harvey and me so that we didn’t drive each other crazy with sounds. I’ve told you I came out of the hospital with a large hearing loss for which we are now looking for hearing aids. My husband would drive me out of our office in the states with the high volume on the gory movies he loved. The headphones would make it possible for us to each watch a movie with volumes set where we wanted them, sitting side by side, without bothering each other, or one could watch TV and the other work at the computer with the headphones that canceled out the noise of the other. Even though I am by myself in the condo, I have neighbors who might not enjoy my choice of YouTube videos or TV movies, so I wear the headphones. Last night I tried it, playing a documentary of Jelly Roll! ☺️
I have been finding drawings I like on YouTube and Pinterest and trying to reproduce them in my sketchbook. I’ve been using regular pencils, colored pencils, and recently bought a set of watercolors. Since the whirlwind of our lives is calming down a bit now, I’ve been having a blast simply playing in my art alcove, enjoying the process under no pressure to try to make something I hope someone will like enough to buy. Can you see me grinning? 😁
After my walking on the treadmill at the gym this morning, we again put on our “Thailand Raincoats” in the covered parking spaces just outside the gym. These are trashbags with sleeves and a hood with drawstrings. They really do a great job, where my tote got wet yesterday under my umbrella. I have the clever raincoat on my laundry rack drying now. I can fold it up and keep it in my tote for use the next time we have a good amount of walking to do, rather than simply getting into or out of a Grab. (Mine is purple, though it looks pink in this photo. Brian’s is blue. – we have a standing joke about him apologizing for not getting yellow – begun when MAC offered computers in that color that were simply hideous! I even LIKE yellow as a rule, but certainly not on my computer…)
Soon we’ll go see Harvey. He did have the nurse call Brian yesterday. He said, “Get me out of here,” about being at the hospital for tests. Brian assured him that the tests were over and that he, accompanied by Miko, would be on their way home soon. Miko thanked Brian, saying Harvey calmed down after talking with him. It will be interesting to see if Harvey 1) knows us, 2) missed us visiting yesterday, 3) remembers being at the hospital, 4) is still complaining about everything and threatening to do harm to the male nurse and the male physical therapy expert at the nursing home.
He keeps wanting to get out of bed. He thinks he can walk by himself, but it takes the PT guy with a strong belt that goes around Harvey’s waist to hold him up so he can walk, shuffling, to the wheelchair in the room or sometimes even to the front porch of the facility. He would certainly fall and hurt himself, possibly ending up in the hospital again if he tried. We have explained this to him endless times, but haven’t been able to get through to him yet…
Brian needs to work today, so he’ll do that while I do various fun things in my condo. We’ll regroup around 5pm and walk to a place Brian thinks I might find a larger tote I can use.
I wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day. I realize that as I type this, it is still Sunday evening for some of you. For others, it is already Monday evening. So a happy celebration to all who remember this day.
Coucal – This bird and his/her partner fly around close to the gym every morning. The contrast of the black and reddish brown really catch your eye, as well as their soaring, fast flight. I thought they might be a member of the hawk family, but Brian just sent me a link that says they’re a member of the cuckoo family! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coucal
Brian orders breakfast for us each morning after our workout and cleanup, and lets me know when to go up to his condo. I can look out at one of his gorgeous views (from his 9th floor condo!) as we eat. One of my favorite things is the flock of pigeons that comes every morning to fly around. As Harvey and I used to do one summer, trying to keep our heads still and count the number of hummingbirds that were flocking around our feeders, I keep trying to count the number of pigeons that dip, soar, and dive bomb in the air space outside his part of the building. There are at LEAST 12 that I’ve counted at one time. They put on quite a show and surely add a beautiful quality of life to our breakfasts, though Brian now takes them for granted.
And finally, I assume that the birds outside the big window glass panes that line the front of the gym where Brian and I are (running – Brian) (walking – me), are different colors of pigeons. I’m not a bird person. I just know that one of the delights while walking on the treadmill is seeing various birds of all different colors walking around, as well as a dog or a cat sometimes.
This was the END of a wonderful Thai meal we had recently. Brian said it didn’t really have an official name, but it had chicken, some type of pasta, lots of veggies, salad ingredients, sauce, with a fancy dish of fruit on the side.
This was my first real Thai meal. Brian is trying to help me eat healthy, eat less, and avoid food that will blow the top of my head off. By the way, protocol dictates you DON’T eat the fern or the pretty flower…
Every day I learn more about how I should act, what I should and should not do to honor the culture and the people. The list is long and my life may not be long enough to absorb it all, but I’m trying my best to absorb as much as I can.
Examples:
Taking off your shoes in all private dwellings, some businesses, some doctor’s offices, etc. I am learning to LOOK for signs that shoes should come off. (shoes outside the door, a rack of temporary slippers to put on after shedding your shoes, etc.) That’s the main reason we bought the Skecher Step-Ins so we could ‘toe’ them off and then quickly step back into them.
Don’t point – ever. Thai people don’t want to do anything to get your attention. If you point for whatever reason, it means to THEM you think that something you’re doing is wrong somehow.
When you see someone, bow, smile, and fold your hands together in front of you. You can even do this partially – if you have something in your hands. Smiling, bowing and hands equal you are happy with them, and honoring them – something very important.
I am trying to learn to say, ‘hello’ (pronounced ‘sawat-dee-kah’) and ‘thank you’ (‘cawp-coon-kah‘) in Thai. We’re still looking for hearing aids, and Brian said my pronunciation is terrible. So, until I get my hearing aids and can practice, I have returned to smiling and speaking English.
For the same reason you never point, you never look around – say at seeing someone’s home for the first time – and smile and say something like, ‘what a beautiful home!’ You are just supposed to smile and say nothing. The logic behind this one still eludes me.
When you cross the street, you cross each half – one at a time. When traffic will allow you, you cross and wait in the center of the street. You wait until the traffic will allow, and then continue to cross. If someone is suddenly there in their car or motorcyle and allows you to continue to cross, you bow your head, thanking him for allowing you to cross. You NEVER – WHATEVER YOU DO – try to run across any part of the road. It is better to stand spread-eagled, blocking the whole road, making it all come to a standstill, than to run. Brian says MANY people are injured or killed because of not following street crossing protocol.
I have a Google search bookmarked on my phone now so I can figure out what something costs here. I see a price listed, and I can reasonably quickly type, ‘12,000 bht to usd’ on my phone to find out that it costs $365.74 U.S. dollars. There is no sales tax here. The price listed is the price you pay.
‘You pays your money and you takes the ride.’ When you pay someone here to do a service, you are literally putting yourself in their hands, showing them that you value their expertise, judgment, and workmanship. I am going to a clinic tomorrow for an initial assessment of how I am doing since moving to Thailand. It would be insulting for me to TELL the doctor that I had my thyroid radiated for Graves Disease several years ago, or that I have a new pacemaker. You trust them to find that out, or ask you what they want to know. They finish their tests, tell you their assessment, and make their recommendations.
I’m going to have a haircut soon. It’s the same thing there. They have a good reputation, lots and lots of reviews. You go in and ask them to make you look better, and then cross your fingers…. 😳
I hope you’re beginning to see why I feel overwhelmed a lot of the time, combined with fascinated and thrilled. I make a LOT of notes!
Lots of things according to Google, including malt for beer , chemicals, animal feed and more.
why am I talking about this? Well, another thing that came in a 55 pound sack was a lot of my fat. Today I finally hit another interim goal on my effort to lose the lard and get healthier. I am down 55 pounds from my highest weight. I am setting interim 5 pound goals because they seem more achievable than the whole number at once. I still want to lose another 25 or 30 pounds (or so) but another 5 pounds sounds doable.
I’m eating breakfast and then dinner, both mainly low carb. I’m walking at the gym on the treadmill while my son runs, and doing a good session of old lady yoga stretches daily. Even though I am the definition of a stress eater, I am seeing results.
I will weigh and measure at the end of the month, but it seems like I am on the right path.🙂
Sorry that my Happy Mother’s Day wishes are late. For some reason, I couldn’t get to my blog.
I had a delightful surprise – Brian’s friend and coworker and his whole family wanted to come by and leave something with me.
It was this gorgeous orchid as a Happy Mother’s Day present. This wonderful family lives in the same building that Brian and I do. We had been invited to dinner at their condo but we had to cancel due to Harvey’s stroke. I had met the woman and her 9 month old (I think) daughter, but hadn’t met the rest of the family. They have a 3 year old son, too. They brought one of their Nannie’s and another friend.
I gave her a choice of a pair of earrings that I had wood burned. She seemed pleased. They have adopted Harvey and me as honorary grandparents! I about lost it when they asked if they could call me, “Nana.” 🙏
She is an artist and will invite me to see some of her work in her studio. I can’t wait AND they are going to invite me to dinner soon!
To say I am thrilled is the understatement of the century. I will try to earn my new name each time I see them.
I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day or showed yours how special she is.
The past couple of days have been challenging – good and bad.
One thing that has been getting on my nerves a bit is having to try to write to you here via my phone rather than getting on my computer. All kinds of problems associated with this, so even though I am doing the best I can, I appreciate your patience.
Our next delivery of IKEA furniture is the 14th and I have asked that we put together the computer table first and get my computer up and going as soon as possible.
Our visit with Harvey today was heart wrenching. He didn’t recognize us, care that we were there, and didn’t try to communicate, so it basically a wasted trip. The worst part of this stroke is the cognitive decline and lack of ability to communicate.
We stopped at the immigration office on the way home and got Harvey’s medical visa. This makes him legal! It is renewable every 3 months. We are still waiting for something on mine, but we are making slow, steady progress on trying to get my retirement visa which we can renew in one year.
The auction on our home in AR was yesterday. Mixed results on that. Brian is in contact with the auctioneer to find out what the next step is. After 37 years, it is hard to walk away, even though the upkeep on the place had become way too much for us. Part of me is relieved – the other part sad.
More good news – as of next Friday I will have a lady who will clean my condo weekly! She cleans Brian’s place and has just agreed to do mine. We got a bunch of cleaning supplies today. I have never had anyone come clean before 😀
I got a massage this morning. She found all kinds of knots in my back and neck. It was wonderful. AND she agreed to do weekly massages on Fridays at 10:00! Spoiled, happy me!!!
My friend Marsha sent me a really cute picture to go with the holiday, but the saved photo goes to la la land 😡
We went to the gym (day 2 for me). I walked for about 32 minutes and bumped the speed up from 3.6 to 4 in increments. I felt fine. The bottom line was I walked a mile. 🙂
We’ve had breakfast and I am waiting for the people to come install Internet service for me. When they finish, we’ll copy some stuff and send it DHL.
Then, if the time is reasonable, we will go visit my husband in the nursing home.
❤️ Shout out to Laufrain and David, who are celebrating an anniversary today!
We went to the hospital first thing this morning. Harvey was up in a chair. The first thing he said to me was, “I need to be in the chair.” He looked confused when I told him he was already IN the chair. The staff brought in a wheelchair and took him for PT. When he came back, they were trying to get him back into the bed. He clearly motioned for me to come help. It was funny and a hint that my guy is inside there somewhere.
Brian and I stopped at a clothes store that we recently found that has clothes good for Brian. He bought several things, then insisted I get two kind of silky buttons- down -the front blouses he thought were pretty. 😀
We went to another place for a coffee. I told him that I really love Chiang Mai because it’s a feast for the eyes. High rise really expensive buildings and then a group of little stores with colorful, textured roofs, straw basket lids decorating the ceiling or some other creative touch. It’s a good thing he holds my hand when we are walking because I am agog at all the wonderful sights around me.
Chiang Mai has many beautiful, impressive buildings. This wiring is impressive in quite a different way to me. This is one of the neater ‘bundles’ of wires that are common here. Some are truly humongous.
I thought my husband and I ended up with snarls of wiring when we lived in the states, even though Harvey did a neat job at the beginning of a project. We would do something else that really replaced a prior generation of something, though, and he didn’t remove the previous wiring. So eventually, we had a snarl, neither of us remembering what the wiring was FOR…
Some of the bundles along the street are really amazing. I would really hate to be an electrical person trying to add to, or modify anything in these bundles.
Happily, the wiring in our actual building is quite neat. Even though we have had several lightning storms since we’ve been here, there have been no losses of power. Maintenance is taken quite seriously. All it takes is a phone call and someone comes up. I haven’t had to contact anyone since I’ve been in the air bnb. I have really enjoyed my stay here.
I love the way that businesses spring up around here. Real entrepenurship in action. One of these days when we’re not pressed for time, I want to walk around our neighborhood, taking some pics of the small businesses that are across the street at the back of the hotel and in the block surrounding the building. There are some food booths and other things I haven’t had a chance to identify.
There is a 7-11 near our building. That’s a big selling point around here. Thai people LOVE 7-11’s. There is a constant stream of people at all hours of the day and night shopping there. There is a glass wall with a door between the 7-11 – divided into pharmacy type stuff on one side and a regular 7-11 type place on the other side.
I don’t think I told you, but you have to have a special key card to use the elevator in the building. This is an added security thing. You can also use it to access a private bathroom off the lobby for condo people in the building. I feel quite safe here.
The lady who runs the office for the building in the daytime asks Brian how his dad is doing often as he is keying in a request for a Grab into his phone. She is so nice and everyone genuinely seems to care about him trying to take care of his parents.
We just had a breakfast of pork strips and a dragon fruit. Delicious! We’ll head for the hospital a bit later, hoping Harvey will recognize us and to monitor his progress.
This is part of my beautiful room in Laos. This hotel was really well run. The people were friendly and helpful, and great places were within walking distance of the hotel.
We went to the hospital today, as usual. Sadly, Harvey didn’t recognize us. He was sitting in a chair, though, when we came into the room. A therapist was there with mental and physical small ‘games’ to work on verbal skills, hand-eye coordination, emphasizing use of his left, or weaker, hand. Then the big muscle physical therapists came in and took over, doing all kinds of chair exercises, then helping him walk down the hall with an aide on either side and a ‘belt’ for them to use to make sure everything went well. He walked down the hall to the therapy room and did more exercises. He was pooped when he returned to the room and slept through lunch. He has real trouble standing up straight and holding his head up.
We left about 3pm. Brian cheered me up, taking us to an art store in the mall. We got a big sketch book full of paper, two regular pencils and an eraser, and a plastic container of 24 colored pencils. I’m planning to use some of my time trying to draw some of the simpler ‘learn to draw’ images on Pinterest, as well as YouTube videos. I want to just work on it every time I get a chance, just delighting in the act of trying to create an image, rather than worrying about the result. I may fill all the pages of the sketch book and toss it in the trash, replacing it with another to try again until I show some improvement. It will be a joy. 😊
While we were out, we crossed the street from the mall and went to a church type building that was filled with shops. It was quite lovely, with way too much to see in one walk-through. We stopped at a coffee shop and both got citrus-y cold coffees, perfect for the temperature outside.
Brian will be here soon with a salad he’s ordering for us to go with the roasted chicken chunks and fruit we have left over from yesterday. YUM!
We are narrowing down the options for a nursing home for Harvey. We have two main candidates that look good so far. We plan on getting some more answers from each of them and then will probably go visit very soon.
Closing on the condo has been moved to Wednesday, cutting the timing really short. I’m supposed to check out of the air bnb on Thursday, so it the closing doesn’t go as we hope, I may be asking for people to pay me to STOP singing on the street in order to get another air bnb hopefully in the same building until I CAN move.
creativeartworksblog 