Saturday, December 14, 2019

    Ah, I had such a goodnight’s sleep. So sweet. The night before, I had been up a lot, not wide awake and tossing, but sleeping lightly.  Not so sweet. 

    The yoga class was packed by the time I arrived. A student I didn’t even know helped move mats around, so I could get my spot. There is something to be said about being old.  There’s actually quite a bit to be said – if you still have good health. 

    I asked the man next to me for his name. I had only seen him twice in class before.  He said, “Your name is Elsa?”  I said no, that’s my dog’s name.  Then I whispered, “You won’t be the only one who has called me a bitch.”  He was somewhat appalled.  Oh, well. Another bad joke.  

    Crista, the studio owner, was there with her son after class. I told her that while I wasn’t interested in her offer to teach yoga with the walker, I would be interested in teaching it while lying on the floor.  It is only the first half of the class that is done standing while I do it lying down. In the second half, everyone is on their mats.  

    The student standing next to me commented that I was doing something while lying down; I wasn’t just sleeping.  He missed what I was doing.  Using the floor for resistance makes a huge difference.  I think this is worth teaching.

    After class, while my hip and leg were bothering me, I was determined to make it to Ross for Less to see if I could return that super large suitcase that Mike had bought and never used.  It still had all its labels attached.  Yes, I could return it.  However, of the $99.99 that it had initially cost, they could only give me $.99.  Yes, you read that right. Less than one dollar.  I took it back and donated it to Habitat for Humanity.  It was worth more there.  

    Then I went to the Humane Society to drop off items which Elsa doesn’t use. Then off to Costco to get gas.  Then I went home.  

    The young man staying here arrived after being out for two nights out with a friend in tow as I was getting out of the car.  I asked them to help me carry my mat and towel inside. My back was bothering me.  The young man made some oatmeal and offered me some.  I wasn’t hungry yet.  He has been generous to me. Granted, he has been living in my house for free, but he has a gracious way about him, which I appreciate. I asked him if he could help me clear the guest room before Friday when the carpet installer is expected.

    He ate and started on it right away.  I had been thinking of where to store all the items from the breakfront.  He saw the empty bookcase, where we kept extra grocery items that I had cleared before Thanksgiving and asked about storing the dishes in the breakfront there. He moved the bookcase into the living room himself with just a little help from me.  Then he put the dishes in it.  He was able to move the good-sized breakfront out himself.  He got some cardboard from my box stash in the library, put it on the carpet on the lanai, and slide the breakfront out of the guest room. Brilliant. 

    I thought we could store the queen-sized mattress behind the living room sofa. The young man was able to get the mattress and the box spring back there on his own.  All that’s left is a large entertainment center used as a chest of drawers, two bedside tables, a file cabinet, and the bed frame. If one other person shows up before Friday, this is all easy peasy. 

    I had already emptied out one of the drawers from the file cabinet.  This is more of Mike’s papers that Sandor wants to keep.  He has already taken the four file cabinets with Mike’s professional files, mostly articles he kept. But then, I’m learning, Mike kept everything.

    When I went to walk Elsa before dinner, I wanted to change into the shorts I had left on the bathroom floor. I discovered a wet spot.  Sniff! Yep! What is she saying?  Why would she pee on an item of my clothing?  

    I’ve been cleaning my house with Jacquie’s southern eye in mind.  It’s good for me, a whole new perspective.  I’m running my hand over surfaces and discovering that I’ve left a residue. It’s kind of fun.

    When I checked the mail, my medical alert system had arrived. I got it to give peace of mind to friends and family. Now I have to set it up and use it regularly. 

    McGilchrist finally references acquiring knowledge through reading instead of through our senses close to halfway through the book.  But he doesn’t talk about how we process it, the roles of the left and right brain when reading.