Family, Fourth Phase, Shadow Mountain

Curating a Life

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Mary goes up to the loft, sits on the deck, and watches the sun rise most mornings. A ritual. Glad she discovered it. She also likes to look at the mountains.

She’s also raving about the book, Kingmaker. About Pamela Harriman who played a prominent role in both British and American politics including pushing Bill Clinton into the presidency. Buddy Mark Odegard also found it a fascinating read.

Things are moving regarding Elk Run. Realized I need to check the wi fi and cable. May need to see if I can install my Starlink over there.

On Tuesday Robin comes and we’ll start deciding what I can take to Elk Run. Not much compared to what’s still in the house. A couple of chairs, my Arts and Crafts stained glass lamps, a fancy coffee table. TV. CD player. Some CD’s. A highly curated selection of books. Some art. Pared down clothes. Maybe my new desk top if there’s room.

I’ll have to buy a new bed since our king sized one would take up way too much space. Probably a full-size to give Shadow room. Maybe a new night stand. That’s about it. A certain amount of furniture, books, art will go into storage. The rest Robin will have to find new homes for. Or, dispose of it.

I’m excited about the paring down process. What matters most comes along, the rest leaves my life for good–with the exception of the things in storage.

Fourth Phase, Shadow Mountain

Home

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Hot times. Even on Shadow Mountain. Had the mini-splits turned to cool as the heat infiltrated my normally cool lower level.

Arjan got home yesterday evening. From the east coast. Tara was already here, having flown in from visiting Vincent in NYC. A full house. We talked and laughed. Nice.

There’s a feeling, still below the surface, of a time ending. Tara and Arjan will leave for their Costa Rican adventure on the 21st. Mary will go, too, at some point not far away. Leaving Shadow Mountain to Shadow and me.

Got my property analysis, price point for selling the house. Good work. Moving on to next stages. I’ll make a lot less than I would have if I sold around the time I considered moving to Hawai’i. Maybe two hundred thousand. Doesn’t bother me. I’m not trying to maximize my result. There will be plenty of money even at this new price.

I’ll move out, either late September or October, to Elk Run. Then, Robin will work with Matt to clear out the house, stage it, and sell it. I hope there will be some movement on the long term care policy by then. If not, I’ll be ok. Better if the LTC pays Elk Run and my money can accumulate. But not necessary.

You might think I’d be sad about leaving Shadow Mountain. I’m not. Like our Andover property it has served our needs for twelve years. I’ll remember it positively. An important location for home.

Home is where the heart is. Always made sense to me. This heart, this lev will change physical locations and create a new home. Looking forward to it.

 

Fourth Phase, Health, Shadow Mountain

Homecoming

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OK. I’m remembering. To write. Routines are off after getting home from rehab so I’ve forgotten Ancientrails.

Tara and Arjan have moved in. They’ll be here until later this month. Nice to have close friends in the house. Gives Shadow an in-house playmate. A good thing.

Mary and I have begun the lower body exercises Carol (p.t.) suggested. Twice a day. Next week Liz (o.t.) will add upper body work. I have a steep path forward. My motivation remains high. I’ll need it.

I find freedom in routine. Sounds paradoxical, right?  I need time already committed to exercise or write. Otherwise, like the last couple of days, I forget. The press of the daily sops up time, leaving none. My routines have been thrown off, way off by all the medical folderol. Trying to reestablish them.

Being at home with Mary, Shadow, Tara, Arjan makes me feel safe. I also enjoy having access to my own things. Books. Remotes. Streaming channels.

Even so, the transition home has had its significant difficulties. How do I maneuver a walker in the tight space of my bathroom? How do I get out of bed? Mostly how do I navigate life with severe physical weakness? Not unexpected, but hard.

 

 

 

General
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Sorry, folks. Asleep at the switch on Shadow Mountain. Awake now. Yes, woke! Why wouldn’t you want to be awake to reality?

On the theme of first harvests. I’ve been home just over a week. The adjustment has been difficult. So many ways to trip up, so many places I can’t go. Like upstairs. Even so. What a glorious feeling to be in my space with Mary and Shadow.

Exercise has outsized importance in my life. I have to get stronger. Better balance. More flexibility. It’s a fair distance from where I am now to a more functional body. No short cuts, either. Twice a day, every day. Also, because I had pneumonia, I have two devices that strengthen my respiratory muscles. A lot of huffing and puffing.

Working on the ADL’s. Is there a creative way to make me certified for a second one? After shower help. Maybe. Paul and his son-in-law Patrick, who is an occupational therapist, have some good ideas.

 

Meanwhile Dopy Don continues to wrack up puzzling and random policy decisions. Berate an attorney general for following the facts in the Olympian versus the reflecting pool. Claims he’ll restart the victims fund for those convicted of insurrection related crimes. Only the biggest investigation and prosecution in Federal history.

Fourth Phase, Health, Shadow Mountain

Twisty

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Life has gotten a little twisty. I want to move. But. I need the Long Term Care policy to activate first. Problem: to activate it I need to require assistance with two ADLs, activities of daily living. I do need assistance now with showering. That’s one ADL. Coming up with a second one? Not so much.

In this case you get penalized for retaining your independence. Not a great system of reward and benefit. Not sure where this leaves me. I knew all of this when I contacted Robin of Spacewranglers and the realtor, Matt Bachus. I knew it when I put down money to hold the one-bedroom unit.

The piece I didn’t know was this: not being able to cook and having a person’s assistance with all that entails does not count as an ADL. It’s an instrumental activity, whatever that means. Joseph was sure it was an ADL and I listened to him without checking. My bad. It sure seems like needing assistance in getting food should qualify which is why I didn’t question Joe. He was being logical in an illogical situation.

Anyhow. I’ll figure out a solution. May mean staying here on Shadow Mountain a while longer. Not a terrible result.

I’m in a gray zone between full independence and needing enough help to trigger the policy. Weird.

 

Speaking of weird. Interesting headline in today’s NYT: In Iran, The U.S. Appears Headed for a Strategic Defeat, Allies Fear. Gee. Vietnam. Afghanistan. Not a great track record since the 1960’s. It’s hard to be an effective imperialist today, eh?

Which leaves us with a question, how would a defeat in Iran play in our current domestic politics? I’m not sure. You would think, since Iran belongs solely to Trump, that he and his party would suffer in the upcoming mid-terms. May it be so.

But Trump has a way of wiggling out of responsibility if things have gone sour. Let’s hope that won’t work in this case.

Family, Fourth Phase, Friends, Health, Shadow Mountain, Weather +Climate

Back At It

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A cool morning on the mountain. Another Colorado blue sky and sun day ahead. Lughnasa and Mabon, the harvest period of the Great Wheel, make 16 weeks of often Goldilock’s weather. Not too hot, not too cool. Some precipitation, but not too much.

That is. This period used to be like that. Still can be, of course, but more and more what would have been mid-Summer heat intrudes. As does smoke from the burning boreal forests of Ontario. We’ve missed the mark. By a lot.

Been having a fun haiku experience with Joanne Greenberg. She suggested a haiku conversation. She writes one and sends it to me. I have to use the sense of the last line in mine. Back and forth.

My profound weakness continues to surprise me. Getting up from the bed is a challenge, even when using both arms for leverage. Same with my chair. It’s easy for me to overdo. Crossing the room to get a book, or let Shadow outside, can make me glad to sit down.

In spite of that I feel good. Engaged. Called a realtor yesterday. Lined up Robin of SpaceWranglers to oversee the process of clearing out the house. She helped me when I thought about a move to Hawai’i. Trustworthy.

I’m going to try to pull all this off in 60 days. Yesterday I put a 60 day hold on the one-bedroom at Elk Run. If I can’t get the house cleared and sold in that time; or, if we run into snags on the Long Term Care policy, I’ll probably have to stay here for the foreseeable future. Not a terrible prospect.

Got back in the saddle. Making those arrangements, paying some bills, getting my dues for CBE. Felt good to flex those muscles.

Mary will be here through August. Joe and Seoah plan to come in September. Hopefully I’ll be on my way to Elk Run by the end of that month.

 

 

Family, Fourth Phase, Health

End of Summer

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Almost to Lughnasa, the festival of first fruits. Loaves of bread made from the early wheat harvest. This is the time it begins  to feel like fall is not faraway though summer lingers in warm days and cooler, longer nights.

It’s also the time when Colorado schools start up again. Ruth starts classes on the twentieth. Gabe moves into the dorm at Regis around the same time.

Lughnasa is a time of preparation, getting ready for the main harvest in September, getting ready for a new year of learning. A transition between the growing season and the fruits of it gathered in.

On my part this year I’m looking at a move to assisted living, putting a finish to a long run of living in my own home(s). First house in Appleton, Wisconsin. Then Minneapolis, St. Paul (3), Andover, Conifer, Colorado. Happy to leave home ownership behind. Let somebody else have their chance.

Still adjusting to life at home with a walker, mobility limitations, significant weakness. Neither easy nor fun. Had a minor fall last night. Not a big deal. But. My legs weren’t strong enough to stand me up. Had to leverage myself onto the bed. High degree of difficulty.

Good to be home though. Shadow, my books, chair, TV. The comfort of the familiar.

Joe’s in the air on his way home to Korea. Mary’s planning to stay through late August. We’re investigating a person to come in the morning, at noon, and around bed time. Would be very helpful after Mary leaves.

I tire easily, don’t have much oomph in general. Exercise and good food. That will change.

 

 

Family, Fourth Phase, Shadow Mountain, Weather +Climate

A Full Clan Gathering

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The monsoons have come in full force, afternoon rain, the occasional thunderstorm. The mountains are green, Lodgepole needles, Aspen leaves, grasses and shrubs. Makes my heart glad.

A day, my first full day home, filled with people. Conversations throughout. My social battery hit empty in mid-afternoon, then went into over-depleted. Even so. Delighted to see Mark again. He’s leaving soon, possibly to D.C. or NYC before heading back to the sands of Araby.

With Mark, Mary, Joseph, and myself here we had the first gathering of the whole clan since Andover in 2011. Mary in Melbourne, Mark in Hafar, Joseph in Korea, and me on Shadow Mountain.  It’s not hard to understand why.

Joseph goes home tomorrow early. He’ll take a hotel room near the airport tonight. Without him and Mary the last month would have been problematic.

He’s got the insurance claim (long term care policy) underway, had my oxygen concentrators repaired, and collaborated with Mary on cleaning the downstairs.

His presence meant a lot to me. I needed him and he came, bringing his Lt. Col. skills and applying them to a fast changing and complex situation. My son, here and helping, helped me feel whole.

Mary had the foresight to recognize I was struggling and showed up willing to help. A selfless and kind thing to do.

Lucky to have both of them.

 

Family, Health, Shadow Mountain

Change of Venue

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When I went to bed last night, in my own bed, Shadow followed, jumped up and snuggled in next to me. It had been almost a month. I gathered her up in my right arm and hugged her. Good to be home.

Easier to sleep. Not going to the bathroom but using a urinal makes night time safer. Other modifications include a walker, less movement, a person listening while I shower. Unclear whether these will be permanent.

Joe contacted Allianz, carrier for my Long Term Policy, and initiated a claim. When I’m able to use this policy, a lot of financial matters will resolve. It would, for example, pay the cost of assisted living. A big help. Otherwise assisted living costs could make my margin each month thin.

Mark came up today. Tara and Ruth, too. Arjan came later. Melissa’s back, too. A full house with Mary and Joseph.

Assisted living is in my future. Might be a month or so, maybe later. A less fraught, more relaxed way of life. Shadow and I chillin’.