We had a big storm last night that knocked the power out several times. New condo, strange noises, I was unable to sleep. Thank goodness my phone and my night light were charged. I managed to sleep a bit on the couch.
Tomorrow will be a big day. I’ll strip the old bed when I get up at 5 to go to the gym. Movers will come to take it away at 9:30. After the bed is gone I am prepping the place for my first ever cleaning lady to come. I will also do my laundry and hang it on my clothes rack on my little terrace. The new bed comes at 1pm. We have sheets, a pillow, and a very light comforter for it.
We have a bunch of errands to do, and we are trying to put together the computer table and get my computer up and running tomorrow. I have a massage in the middle of all this.
We will probably have to miss visiting Harvey tomorrow. We just don’t have 3 hours tomorrow. Today he was awful – full of vague complaints he couldn’t detail when pressed, and saying ugly things about the people who are trying to help him.
He insisted he wanted to get out of the bed. We tried to explain he’s not strong enough, but he wouldn’t listen. We warned the staff about it when we left. They were aware of this. It’s upsetting to have him act so unlike himself.
A Grab is like an Uber in the states. Brian has a Grab app on his phone. He calls it, tells it where he is, where he wants to go, and in a minute or two one comes and picks us up. He has an app for paying directly from his bank account as well, so there is no fumbling for money, waiting for change, etc.
The drivers are truly amazing as well. They use GPS on their phone to plot the best route, but know shortcuts, too, if needed. Many times we are on highways or main streets where there are 3 lanes of cars in both directions plus a gazillion motorcycles darting in and out. Just when you think you’re bogged down, they pull out and drive past 20 or 30 cars in a lane. It’s breathtaking and impressive at the same time.
Grab also runs a motorcycle delivery service. We use it to order food for breakfast and dinner. Brian orders, then gets a notification that it is downstairs. He goes down and brings it up.
To say this service is vital to our quality of life is an understatement. I am amazed and in awe of the system.
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.🙂
He couldn’t find anything wrong with my ears. He did suggest, after asking me for more information about my hospitalization and surgeries, that there were a number of things that could have affected my ability to hear, but none are fixable. He wanted me to do another audiogram and see a specialist at the hospital with which he is affiliated.
Brian and I agreed that probably nothing could be done and we already had a recent audiogram, that we will now research hearing aids. I do know that for the short time I used the computer headphones Brian got me, I was delighted to be able to “turn up sound” on my computer, the TV, or even on my phone. So now we will see what is available and go from there.
One day maybe I will say, “YES! I can hear you now!”🙏
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.
These 3 pictures give you an idea of the view from the Fohhide Coffee shop.
Brian took me there after a depressing visit with Harvey, who didn’t really know us or any of his family. He thought Brian was his brother Bill. He knew I was his wife, but didn’t know my name. He told us the people there were trying to drown him.
SO – we really enjoyed the absolutely stunning view from the 5th floor of this building. The elevator was really old style, completely glass, and would only hold 2 people. I have to admit it gave me pause. That was until I saw the view. What a special place to show me! 😊
We stopped today at what instantly became my favorite coffee place yet.
There was not only ONE sweet cat – there were FOUR! 🤗
Two were black. One of these had an elegant gold chain with a bell as a collar. The other black cat had a string of pearls as her collar. One cat was what I can best describe as a cocoa siamese. The last one was a black, gray, and orange cat with hair in a kind of checkerboard pattern.
Their cat cage was in one corner of the shop. It was huge, several levels with beds and toys.
In another spot was a food dish, water dish, and something else the cats kept checking, but I couldn’t figure out.
There was a table with toys on a string or stick that the patrons could use to try to engage the cats in play. A couple tried but had no luck. Then a young woman and her boyfriend sat down. The cats were immediately intrigued. She really got them going, leaping over each other trying to get the toys. Finally, the black cat with the gold collar grabbed the toy end while the woman wasn’t paying attention, and leaped down, causing a parade of cats to follow.
I do want you to know that the cold chocolate drink I had was delicious, but the reason I want to go there again is to see the kitties again🤣
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!!!
We put together the new dining area table from IKEA this afternoon. Brian gave me the two black chairs.🙂
We also put together the TV table. We will order an Apple TV to go on it.
Since these are super sturdy and are good quality, we will now order my computer table, my chest of drawers, and my jigsaw puzzle table. 🙂 Brian just texted me that the other pieces will arrive in boxes on the 14t
My new bed is due here on the 16th. We need to have the movers come before then to have them take the old one. We will have to ask them when they can do it. I will switch to sleeping on the couch in the interim.
Lots of excitement around here, and confusion. We need to get pillows, some sheets and a mattress pad pretty soon…
This may not look like much, but it will be a lifesaver for me. It’s a new doorbell. Several days ago Brian rang my doorbell. He did this because there is construction going on and I didn’t hear him knock softly as he usually does. The bell was so loud I jumped straight up in the air. We had identical looks of horror when I got the door open. Brian said, “We are getting you a new doorbell.” 🤣
I have been washing the dishes, glassware, and silverware in my place and placing them carefully on a towel on the counter to dry.
This is an air purifier. It helps all the time, but is especially important for “the smoky season”when the farmers burn off their fields once the harvest is over.
And finally, a clothes dryer rack. It will live on my terrace. Stuff you put out there is usually dry in two hours. If it looks like it will rain immediately I will bring it into my art alcove to finish. My place is coming together day by day. I just love it!🥰
This is my terrace! I’ve never had one before. This one is about the size of a postage stamp, but it’s big enough to put a clothes drying rack on, allowing me to wash out a few things saving trips to the laundry in the future. I will be particularly pleased to be able to rinse out towels and my workout clothes.
Harvey was discharged from the hospital and moved to the nursing home yesterday afternoon. We have been to see him twice there now.
Yesterday he was actually alert and trying to talk to us. He recognized us (whoopie!!!) called me “babe” and kissed my hand repeatedly. He said a lot of stuff that made no sense, but was trying to communicate. The nursing home will feed him low carb food, and this will help him a lot. They send us videos of him! Today’s were of his physical therapy. We got there later to visit, and he was determined to sleep, having eaten well and exercised. He had the same book about Thailand on his chest. It’s written in Thai, so he can’t read a word. Maybe he is just looking at the pics.
Anyway, the staff is making sure someone is with him, helping him do daily things and making sure he is comfortable.
I was encouraged again today, even though he didn’t know we were there or interact with us.
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!
Harvey is going to be discharged from the hospital this afternoon and transferred to the nursing home by an ambulance hired by the nursing home.
we came to check on Harvey and he is sound asleep. He does not know we are here. Apparently he didn’t sleep well last night, and so is doing it now when he is supposed to be taking medicine, doing PT, and eating lunch. He is really soundly asleep now. we are waiting for the cashier to bring a final bill. She was supposed to be here at 11:00, but it is now almost noon.
we are supposed to be meeting the movers at my place this afternoon, so it’s hard to tell how this all will work out. we don’t have to be here for the transport to the nursing home, but it would be nice to be able to sign off on the hospital before we have to leave…
The nursing home will call us when Harvey has arrived and has been made comfortable in his new room. We will visit there as soon as possible.
I’m back in my condo after eating breakfast with Brian. We combined salad, sliced avocado, bacon, and scrambled eggs in big bowls, plus drinking a mug of hot mushroom tea. Today was Day 1 of an effort for me to continue losing my lard plus regaining strength from my sudden health issues, plus wanting to be the healthiest me I can be.
We walked to the gym, rinsing off the bottom of our shoes in a tray of water and wiping them on the carpet put there for that purpose. We put our membership card up to a reader as the door unlocked and the lights came on. The owner/manager waved at us. We were alone, otherwise, and I liked that just fine 😊
Brian showed me all about the treadmill and I was off and walking. I gradually increased the pace to 3.5, which seems to push me a bit, but is a good one for me. The machine showed a path I was supposed to be walking on, but it seemed to be going faster than I actually was. I had been watching Brian, right next to me. He did a good warm up, then gradually increased his speed to where he wanted to be. Then he did a minute or so cool down.
He was worried that I might be dizzy. That was only true for a minute or so on the walk home. I asked him if it would be rude to sit on the back of an elephant statue. He said, “No,” just as I plopped down on one’s back while the other two probably sneered as they watched me.
Brian cut his run a bit short this morning out of concern I might poop out. I did 31 minutes at a speed of 3.5 km/hour. Day before yesterday I did 3452 steps. This morning I have 4963 so far. Pretty good starting point for an old broad!
I will do some yoga stretches now before we leave to go to the hospital, and will do another set after the movers take the furniture away.
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.
This place came furnished, but we are having to change several things out for one reason or another. This bed is pretty sad, for example. The mattress is very thin -about 4 inches deep- and crunches whenever you sit or lie on it. I think there are slats under the mattress and they make sounds like they are considering dumping me on the floor in the middle of the night. A couple of days ago we found and ordered what will be a very nice bed for us – if my husband comes home – and, of course, for me. We THOUGHT we had arranged for them to deliver and set up the new one and take the old one with them. Brian called yesterday to make sure that was the arrangement. They called today and said they would not take the old one, so we are having to make other arrangements. We are kind of at the mercy of these companies, so the people who will take the old bed get priority. This means that I will sleep on the couch until the new bed arrives and is set up. That is scheduled for the 16th. As much as I have defended this old, rump sprung couch, I have to admit I hope I don’t have to sleep on it MANY nights…😀
We are going to replace this chest of drawers, as well. The third drawer down has no bottom and none of the drawers want to open or close.
This is the closet and a little dressing table. Brian has ordered me a make up mirror so I will be able to confirm I HAVE a face and slap a bit of makeup on. 🙃
The newest thing today was we got a night light we ordered so I don’t have to leave the bathroom or alcove light on when I get up in the night!😃
This is an alcove area between the bedroom and, living room and terrace.
I think I will use this kind of like an informal desk area. It is a very pleasant area to sit and look out the window. I may try to do some drawing here, too, or simply sit and dream…
I am amazed at all the ways you can get around in Chiang Mai. A lot of people walk. We do, too, if it’s not too far for “old mom” to keep up. This is one of the reasons for joining the gym is so I can gain the strength I lost from Flu A, low oxygen level, sudden heart problems and installation of my pace maker in February. Walking on the treadmill every day will allow me to concentrate on the walking, rather than trying to avoid falling on my head from tripping on the uneven sidewalks etc. You can have a car if you enjoy living on the edge. Even Harvey saw, before his stroke, that this incredible traffic was too much for us to handle. A “Tuktuk” is a tiny open vehicle with a small bench seat behind the driver. If one is parked in the area, you can ask him if he will take you where you want to go – that is, if you speak Thai… We took one the other day, more for the experience for me than anything else. It’s fun. 😊
There are also motor scooters and bikes that will give you rides. I really wouldn’t feel safe doing this. They dart confidently in and around really heavy traffic, many times in between two or more lanes, with a bunch of other motor scooters and bikes right there with you. Whew!
The mode Brian and I take most often is called Grab – their version of Uber in the U. S. He calls, tells them where he is and where he wants to go. They come almost instantly. He pays through an online service. All this happens at the same time on the road, with people driving on the wrong side, all driving fast and confidently. I get in , carefully saying, “Hello,” as Brian says something equivalent to, “Blessings be upon you “ in Thai. I strap myself in and try to keep my mouth from hanging open as we “fly” through the traffic. As I get out, I say a somewhat strangled version of “kawp coon, ka!” Hoping I didn’t mangle it TOO badly… 😂
This is my teeny tiny kitchen. If you look carefully, you can see my fridge to the left of the green towel under the counter top. Yes, really. Kind of like a campus dorm room fridge. I’m throwing away the cookware that all looks like, as my husband used to describe horses as, “rode hard and put away wet.” I’m tossing two pieces every day or two so that I don’t use more than my share of the floor’s trash service. I do have a microwave. We need to get glassware, dishes, silverware, and a dish drainer , as well as a skillet and spoon in order for me to do anything that could be called cooking. That’s all right for now, but we should probably cook breakfast ourselves and have dinner delivered, or vice versa when I get set up.
Harvey is getting final tests before discharge. We visited him today, greeted him and kissed him, but he showed no recognition or reaction that we were there. We stayed a while, but couldn’t engage him, so we went to do errands.
We are trying to replace stuff in the condo so that I can enjoy it, plus it’s going to last for when Brian rents the condo out or sells it after we’re gone.
Today we ordered a new bed and a sofa. We will order more as we go.
We ordered Internet service (hooraaaay!) and I got two pairs of exercise shorts and tees for starting at the gym Monday. We ordered a clothes drying rack so I can wear one set while another is drying for the following day. It will also allow me more flexibility, particularly if the laundry is closed for some reason. A funny/vain thing – I asked Brian to order a makeup mirror because I can see that I HAVE a face in the bathroom and the bedroom, but that’s it. Lots and lots of details and changes to absorb, but I spend each day fascinated by all the new things I am learning, food I am trying, activities I am participating in, and more. I will be delighted if Harvey improves to the point he can live with me here and start enjoying the new lifestyle. If it can’t happen, we will make the best of it that we can.
He was due to be transported to the nursing home this afternoon. One of his doctors came in and started talking about follow up tests. The end result is that they think they should provide the nursing home with the latest numbers and their recommendations going forward , so the transporting will now happen tomorrow.
Harvey still isn’t recognizing us. Today I told him it was wonderful to see him. He responded, “I am happy you are here.” I asked if he knew who I was and he said, “No.”
Again I am thankful all this happened here, that he has received amazing care, and has a nice place where he will continue to have caring people who will do all they can to provide what he needs. I don’t know yet if we will get to visit him tomorrow once he leaves the hospital, but we will do what they recommend.
Brian and I just got back from “Walkin’ to New Orleans” to get to a nice looking gym, where he has been running first thing in the morning for the past 4 days, I think.
We have a one month membership for me now. I will start Monday morning. They open at 6 a. m. , so we will start walking from here at 5:50. He says it’s a 5 minute walk for him and it took us 10 minutes to get there this afternoon. Actually, the walking over there and walking back will make me proud of this old lady.😛
He runs for 25 minutes. I will try to walk on the treadmill for the same 25 minutes he is running. Then I am planning to do a slow easy yoga stretching session in the afternoons. We will see how it goes. 🙂
It’s really old and the lounge part is quite rump-sprung. The material will not smooth out. The last picture shows the arm, from which all the stuffing is gone .
Brian said I should replace it. I will, reluctantly, if Harvey recovers enough to come live with me. Otherwise, I’m keeping it. I think it’s wonderful. I sit down and half the time end up on my back laughing. It swallows me up. Then I use both feet to push my self up against the two pillows and I am in heaven. The arm is perfect to hold my phone while it is being charged – as it is now, and my glasses are there, plus a book I am reading. When we get the TV working, this is the perfect spot for that, or a nap…😴
Visas in Thailand seem quite complicated. I don’t see how anyone would figure out what to do on one’s own. Fortunately , there are knowledgeable people in reputable companies who will help you through the process. I am on the 2nd step toward getting a retirement visa. Brian and I went to the visa company this morning and are rounding up what the lady wants for my stuff. We also asked her about Harvey’s visa. They gave us a bunch of hoops through which we must jump, but there IS a medical type visa. We are gathering things for that, as well. Harvey is scheduled to be transferred to the nursing home this afternoon. He is in physical therapy right now. When they bring him back, we will get his thumb print on a bunch of papers and may go back to the visa office to take things back to her. We may also be allowed to visit Harvey in the nursing home this afternoon. I’m trying to be ready for whatever comes.
The thing I like most about my place is all the light that comes in from all the windows and doors. The view is really nice, and each window or glass door has one lighter shade and then a darker shade . You can pull up both completely to welcome the light as I did this morning, or you can filter the light if it’s too strong, or shut it out completely for privacy at night. I can’t figure out how to add another pic here on my phone, so I’m unable to show you the view with the lights at night. Frustrating!
I will try to do more in the next post. Suffice to say I am thrilled to HAVE a place that is MINE. I can keep the things I like. I can give away some things. I can buy some new things, have people deliver and set it up, and take away the old. So far I am finding the imperfections here charming. I DO need some dishes and silverware soon though 😀
Maya (pronounced “May-yah!”) is the ‘small’ mall in Chiang Mai.
It is really a showplace. It has 7 floors of shops, a cinema, restaurants, and live shows performing on a regular basis.
It’s a huge draw for young people who swarm the place nightly, mostly coming on motor scooters and motor bikes, single riders to 4 riders plus a dog that I’ve seen so far. During the water festival, the whole front of the place was protected by scaffolding. Traffic had to be diverted because no one could get around otherwise. After the three day celebration, the scaffolding came down and the regular huge crowd continued.
Brian took us there to try to open a bank account, running into stumbling blocks that we’re still trying to get past. We THINK we’re almost there now. We also looked for our Skechers Step-In shoes there. (We ended up going to the ‘big mall’ way down the road from here because Brian said there would be a better selection. (Harvey is very picky about his shoes.)
The Step-Ins have really saved my life. All private homes, plus MANY stores, doctors offices, etc., ask that you remove your shoes when you enter. So you’re standing on one foot, trying to remove your shoes without falling on your head. There is no place to sit down. Everyone quickly sheds shoes and enters while you still try to untie your shoes, or unbuckle your sandals. Then reverse the process when you come out. You get the picture. NOW I can just toe my shoes off and put them where they belong, then step into them, maybe with a hand on the wall, when we leave. Hooray!
We got my art supplies recently at Maya, as well. The Grab drove us all the way around to the back of the mall, enabling us to enter from the closest door to the store we wanted. We still walked a bunch, taking three escalators to get to the place.
This is amazing. I can’t believe that this is called, ‘small.’ It’s phenomenal.
Brian and I had breakfast this morning of some pork strips, a dragon fruit, some yogurt, and a cup of mushroom tea.
He is going to the land office this morning with the realtor and the owner of the condo we are buying. Hopefully, he will return with the keys to my new place!
I am mostly all packed. I finished Harvey’s things first, in case I DON’T get to move this morning. I’ve been living out of a suitcase since the last of March when we arrived, so I’ll have easy access to my things, if needed, for another couple of days. (I have to check out Thursday)
I’m all packed, though, so we can start moving when he gets back. It would be wonderful if we can get everything up into the new place, then come down again to make sure all is as it should be left here at the air bnb, that we haven’t forgotten anything, etc.
Brian is going to handle moving my computer and the other electronics we have on the counter here, so I’m just leaving that as it is, enjoying being able to use my computer a while more before the move.
He mentioned that I may not have Internet up there right away. If that’s the case, I’ll do the best I can to write to you via my phone until Brian gets me fixed up.
We’ll head to the hospital this morning to see how Harvey is doing whether we move today or not.
Tomorrow morning. the nursing home people are coming to meet Harvey and to talk to the doctors and nurses who have cared for Harvey since his stroke, surgeries, and physical therapy to this point. I’m SO impressed that they would take the time and make this effort to be sure they are giving Harvey what he needs. We are so lucky to have found them.
Brian and I went to the hospital to visit Harvey as usual this morning. He was sitting in a chair (!) eating his breakfast, mainly able to feed himself with careful monitoring to make sure he swallows between bites or sips, rather than sitting there with his mouth full and then choking later.
We left mid morning to visit a nursing home we are considering for Harvey, who will be discharged from the hospital in a few days. It was good in lots of ways, with lots of care-giving things we liked. I wasn’t sold, however, and we went back to the hospital thinking we could accept this as a temporary place for him at least.
This afternoon we went to another place, farther out. I immediately felt good as we walked up to the door. The people simply exuded caring. We were shown all over, they answered our questions, will visit the hospital to see Harvey and meet with his doctors and the nurses who have been taking care of him to make sure they understand what has been happening and what he needs. The hospital and the nursing home will work together on transporting Harvey to the new place.
The decision is still ripping me in half. No one can control situations like this, though, and I will feel he is in good, caring hands here. If it’s temporary, that would be wonderful. If it’s not, I can see him being comfortable and content here. It’s a reasonable distance for us to travel to visit a lot, so this is the best outcome I could have hoped for at this point.
The other good news is that the closing for the new condo has been moved to tomorrow morning, instead of Wednesday. Hopefully, Brian will return with the keys and we can move my stuff out of the air bnb and into the new condo tomorrow. I don’t have to hurry to get settled. I want to leave the air bnb as clean and orderly as I can, showing the owner how much I appreciated having a nice place to stay in the same building as Brian since we arrived in Thailand.
I haven’t really slept for two days with all this important stuff flying around in my feeble brain, so I’m hoping I can sleep well tonight, being on the road to some big solutions.
Brian and I celebrated our news, stopping for some cappucino and some cookies (!) I haven’t had cookies in over two years or so. They were delicious!!!😁.
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.
Our son just joined a gym day before yesterday. He gets up at o-dark-thirty and gets to the gym as it opens. He then runs on the treadmill for 30 minutes, comes back home, showers, and then gets ready to come down to my air bnb to share some breakfast and some plans for the day.
I am going to try going to the gym with him (yes! at o-dark-thirty) after I move into the new condo and get it reasonably settled. I’m going to create a new life for myself outside of the visits to my husband, in the hope that this will be good for all of us in the future.
I want to get healthier. I will TRY to walk for the 30 minutes he runs, or as much as I can manage. I will TRY for every morning, though I may cut it back to every other day, or three times a week.
I’ll plan my new activities around our visits to the nursing home. When we first decided to come to Chiang Mai, Thailand to live in the same building as our son, I thought fondly of several things I would like to do –
exercise and lose the rest of my lard
eat healthy low carb food
start trying to draw
renew my love for playing a guitar and singing (very quietly! ☺️)
take conversational Thai lessons (speaking, reading and writing)
have regular massages/manicures/pedicures
figure what in the world to do with my hair 😜
see if I can find a women’s group that creates art
communicate with a American Ex-Pat group my SIL found for me
learn to cook using my new cookware (egg cooker, vous vide, air fryer)
Learn to use Grab (going places and ordering food delivered)
Getting to know Brian’s adopted family in the building (they have already adopted us as grandparents to their two children. 😁
This was one of our favorite places to eat on our recent trip to Laos (pronounced “Lao”). It’s in Luang Prabang. It was within easy walking distance from our hotel.
“Small family owned cafe serving health conscious food, smoothie bowls, lao favourites and refreshing sodas. Base menu is 100% vegetarian with many vegan inclusions. Specials highlighting organic locally grown produce as well as vegan desserts. Chicken available as addition however is cooked separately.”
Our favorite, which was low carb, was called a “Brunch Bowl.”
There is a fried egg, roasted veggies, and some cauli-rice. Delicious.
The people were friendly and it was always doing a good business, though it closed at 5:30 each day. We went at 4pm so we wouldn’t keep them from closing on time. We went a couple of times. Wonderful place.
We have been at the hospital since 9:30 this morning. It is now almost 5p.m.
We have watched his swallowing therapy. He is able to swallow better and can feed himself a bit without choking. On a last drink of thickened water, he went to sleep with a mouthful of water . He didn’t choke, but very well could have. We watched him in therapy for hand eye coordination and verbal skills – and then two sessions of large muscle therapy today.
He did not recognize Brian or me at all and reacted very little. We are now researching nursing homes close to our condo building. We want to be sure he is comfortable and gets the nursing care he needs. Physical therapy is secondary right now and I am not physically able, even with a live-in nurse, to provide the care he needs. We are hoping this will be a temporary move, but no one knows for sure now. It is hard to accept when you have little control over something this important, but we will do the very best we can for my husband.
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