life in the old lane

Being old means you can take a little trip down memory lane, remembering the day before Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, March 4, 2019.

Laissez les bons temps rouler.

All but the two newest orphans are either blooming or sending up flower stalks. I haven’t repotted the new ones yet. I got them up just before I left for Hawai‘i, so they’re still in “grocery store medium.” I seem to do better with my own medium and my own pots.

Gratitude

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Grateful that I can still do many of the things I want to do. I try not to dwell on the things I can’t do anymore. And then there are things like playing the cello. I cannot do that. Never mind that I never could.

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So, a very busy Old Lady Sunday:
Breakfast.
Water Orchids.
Wash Clothes.
One Mile Walk Outside.
Lunch – Mac & Cheese!
Read.
Blog…

I have many “adult” activities waiting for me next week. So this afternoon I am officially allowing myself to chill.

As promised. A warm snap. 54° at 2 PM. I went out for a 3-mile walk. I opened the windows. I wore a skirt. And carried my jacket home.

Which is not to say that walking was safe or easy. But, it was great to be OUT. And I returned home without falling.

Falls scare old people because falls kill old people. 

Rain is promised tomorrow. That should clean things up a bit. And the warm snap appears to continue through next week.  No problem with that. 

The morning was going along sweetly. The housekeeper was done. Another week without me changing sheets or washing the toilet. All good.

I fire up the computer to scan a receipt. Simple task. Paper goes in. Nothing happens. Try again. Nothing. Restart computer. Try again. Scanner software crashes.

Notice the scanner software updated on February 5. Ah-ha. That must be it. Two hours later I discover that macOS also updated on February 5.

So macOS finally killed off my 14 year old scanner’s driver and software. The scanner hasn’t been supported in years. I’ve been running it with a driver for a completely different scanner for at least five of those years. It worked beautifully. Until it didn’t.

The scanner itself is still great. But without a driver, it is now a very attractive paperweight.

Time for a new scanner. Fourteen years is good service. No complaints. Ordered a replacement from B&H Photo. Arriving Wednesday. Yes, I could have had one delivered today from Amazon. But I can wait. I’d rather send my money to those nice Jewish boys in NYC.

Still doing “stuff that has to be done.” I believe the kiddos call it adulting. Years ago I shared an office with a man who referred to “stuff that has to be done” as mephitic duties. He knew perfectly well that mephitic means foul-smelling. He simply thought it sounded right. It does.

Gratitude

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Grateful that I can still get around without any mobility assistance devices. Unless I am playing the old card. Then I deploy my cane.

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There are things I might want to do once the lawyer, taxes, dentist, routine bookkeeping, and assorted mephitic duties are handled.

I was a little concerned that my crappy circulation might impair healing. But the leg is all good. Well, as good as it was before the attack.

Today’s main event was a meeting with my lawyer to review plans for my general demise and death. Serious business. Heck, ChatGPT told me to wear real clothes. I was ready.

The lawyer was sick. Rescheduled for next week.

It was 45°. Time for a real walk. First one since St. Maarten. Well…

So, I paced around and around the Asylum’s salted walkways. Took the back way to the grocery. Logged about 3 miles. So. Exercise mission accomplished.

I paced past our Little Library several times.

I always liked XP. I was sad when it finally retired. I also spotted a much-read copy of Artemis Fowl. Hope some kid from across the street discovers it.

Also paced past our “water feature” several times. I am sure the birds appreciate open salt-free water.

Whatever happened was what I planned.

A day above freezing. I believe that the Arctic freeze is ending. But, I still haven’t ventured out past the porte-cochère. Still trying to tie up loose ends today. Also starting on my taxes, and getting ready for the lawyer tomorrow.

Gratitude

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Grateful for Zoom Yoga.

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The tax boy has new software. I have to do very, very little. Which is good. But I don’t exactly trust it either. I feel like one should DO taxes. Taxes should be mentally and even physically taxing. Even when paying someone to do taxes, there should be pain. 

I secretly suspect that AI will be doing my taxes. Or some person in the Philippines. Did you read that Waymo vehicles are “controlled” by humans in the Philippines? Yeah. That’s scarier than “driverless”. Progress.

Came back from brekkie this morning to find sun. Actual sunlight inside the Old Bat’s Cave. That’s a very good sign that we’re finally moving in the right direction, weather-wise.

Managed to tie off a whole bunch of loose ends today. Mostly, I suspect, because I couldn’t start my morning with The Washington Post.

Finally pulled the plug. I couldn’t send one more dollar—or let them squeeze one more penny out of me via online ads. Enough.

So for the first time in fifty years, I didn’t begin my day with the Post. Even on 9/11, when we were in Skagway with no television, I had internet access and read about the attacks on my old Toshiba laptop through the Post’s early digital edition.

That’s a long habit to break. But here we are.

A nice little freezing-cold Sunday. Time to contemplate my next escape. But wait—there’s the lawyer, the dentist, the taxes, the doctor, and the collapse of the republic standing between me and any grand plans. Oh well.

But the recent escape to St Somewhere was great. Culling and cataloging those photos now.

And here is my friend Billy. Yesterday, he dug out old notes and mementos from his days at Huliheʻe Place and rediscovered Carlton’s kukui nut lei. Billy and Monique were taking friends to visit Huliheʻe, and Monique sent this photo.

The older you get, the fewer people you have to share history with. And these seemingly small connections become treasures.

My windows are none too weather-tight. One windowsill clocked in at 54 degrees, another at 65. I rearranged the orchids accordingly, clustering them on the two warmer windows for the next day or two. Survival gardening.

One of the Asylum dogs took one look outside and declared it too chilly to participate.

I recently discovered an advantage to being old: you don’t have to get new books. You can just reread the old ones, and they’re practically brand new. I have a couple thousand Kindle and audiobooks, so I believe I am set for the foreseeable future.

This isn’t just me. Everyone at breakfast agreed—old books are new again.

Let’s review my complaints.

1. 1. There is ICE. And then there is more ice. Everywhere.

   2. Yesterday, The Asylum featured “Savory Yuca with Lima Beans in Coconut Sauce” as a dinner entrée. I will concede that they have at least learned that yuca and yucca are two entirely different plants. Progress.

   3. There was exactly one operating elevator for my floor yesterday. To be fair, one is better than none.

   4. Last night the power went out in major portions of the building, and the Wi-Fi went down everywhere. Thank goodness for my cell data plan.

   5. The inmates are up in arms about the planned renovations to the first floor of The Asylum. I looked at my birthdate, then looked at the projected completion date, and concluded this is not something I personally need to worry about.

   6. And the weather forecast:

      “For the Extreme Cold Warning, dangerously cold wind chills around or below 10 degrees below zero expected. For the High Wind Warning, northwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.”

      Excellent. I had no intention of going outside anyway.

But it is Happy Hour at The Asylum. Never mind that the renovation plans include moving the bar from its perfectly good location. Some things are worth protesting; some things are best addressed with a drink.

Back at The Asylum.
Ass freezing cold.
Arrived to find that we only have ONE elevator working in my building.
But, it’s free wine night.
And the orchids seem fine.