Showing posts with label NY state fall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NY state fall. Show all posts

Friday, October 23, 2020

A Special Fall This Year

 

In the park on a fall day!

Being outside in the crisp fall air is one of my favorite things to do. I love the smell of the leaves as they fall from the trees. It gives me a feeling of being glad I am alive and fills me with hope for my future. My future???? Do I think about my future now at my age? Yes, I do. Even if I was ninety I would still be thinking of my future. That is what humans do. We look forward to tomorrow. Unless you are suffering from depression which I am not. Whenever I am sad or troubled by something or someone, I refuse to let it get the best of me. I wasn't always like that but in my home now, I make sure to keep the environment happy, soothing and colorful.


My apartment building is across the street.

To be honest, I miss the walks in the woods and along the dirt road I used to live on. That was one of the things I considered carefully when I decided to move to a city. My apartment building is downtown in a small city, but has four different parks within walking distance. Using "Jazzy" (my mobility chair) I go to them quite often. I can sit in the sun and think about things. It is a place to be alone and just watch the activity around me. Breathing in the fresh air. Feeling the sunlight on my face. It renews my spirit I think.


The memorial flower bed is dying off now.


This fall has been an active one for me. I had tried having a personal care aide. That is an aide who comes to your home and does things for you such as house cleaning, errands, personal care that you can't do yourself. I was having trouble doing some of my house cleaning chores. One being changing my sheets on my bed and another was vacuuming and mopping the floor. I tried it. I realized when the aide was here that I could still do it better. Like cleaning my bunny's cage, I believe it was good for me to exert myself to do it. Since then, I have cleaned my apartment and found ways around my difficulties. I feel much better for doing it.


Leaves changing colors is the beauty of fall!


I was picking dandelions and plantain leaves for Rabbit in the park. Trying to find out of the way spots. Now I don't dare pick any anywhere due to the rabbit virus that wild rabbits are getting. There is a vaccine for it, but I choose not to do that to him. It would be too stressful and it does not guaranty he wouldn't get it. He is safe in my apartment. I will just avoid the food from outside from now on. I am researching growing some grass and dandelion in pots in my apartment. If I can do that I would not have to worry about it being safe.



Pretty colors of fall!

Another reason having an aide did not work out for me is that I hate scheduling things. There are some days that I can walk better than others. I can do more on those days. Trouble is that I don't know in advance when those days will be. On those days, I just want to be in my recliner and color and not deal with anything else. I will say on most days I feel good and can do a lot more than I thought I could do. Getting older did not hold my father back at all. He had health issues but he didn't let that stop him from doing what he wanted. If it hadn't been for other people in his life, his last years would have been more enjoyable even without my mother. My mother always said I was more like him, even though I looked like her. So I try to live up to that standard the best I can. 




Copyright © 2020 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2020  Kathleen G. Lupole
Updated 2021

Tuesday, October 09, 2018

I Am Looking Forward To Fall and the Holidays

Beginning of fall colors in NY state


Fall is here. Holidays are coming. I am happy about both. Happy? More like excited. I can decorate. I can make a holiday for my friend, my son and I. Just like we used to have when he was younger. I used to go all out for Christmas all the years he was growing up. After his dad and I broke up, not so much. Now he lives a block away and we can celebrate holidays together again. Now living in an apartment building for seniors, I don't really expect to have trick or treaters for Halloween. But you never know, so I will at least buy a bag of candy, just in case. And then there is Thanksgiving! Which I am really looking forward to. I will write more about that is a future post.


Light and airy in my apartment


I am waiting for the fall colors to brighten up a bit and then I will take some good pictures to share the beautiful NY fall with my readers. As much as I loved the colors of the trees as they changed, in NY, it means cold weather is coming. Dark days and a lot of work in my previous house. I lived with wood stoves and an alternative energy system, which depended heavily on solar.....sun. Not easy at that time of the year. Being dark as early as five and sometimes earlier. Living here in my new apartment, this will not be a problem. I will have plenty of lighting and no wood stoves for heat. Snow removal is included in our rent here, so nothing I have to concern myself with.


The Parking Lot


The hardest thing, I believe I will have to deal with, will be walking with my rolling walker in the snow. I am guessing that my ramp and parking lot here will be completely plowed out to the surface. So it would not be a problem getting out of my building and to the parking lot. I have to believe the other parking lot behind the stores on Broad Street, will also be plowed out pretty good since it is a city parking lot. So hopefully, I will be able to use my walker all the way to the stores on Broad Street. Most of the time though, my friend will be driving me to the store. I would not take a chance on falling due to icy conditions.


Air Conditioner and Electric Heater

I will be exchanging air conditioning for heating. So I imagine my bills will remain the same. I have not done too bad on using air conditioning. I have it on all the time because I am always hot. So I like to keep my apartment cool and only turn it down when someone is here, who can't take it that cold. My maintenance man is going to put silicone on my windows when he takes out the air conditioner. I have not been able to open and close them myself. In winter, I would like to be able to open them at least a little bit. Need some air, even if it is cold.


Rabbit last year at the house keeping warm.


I am not too worried about being cold. My building is an old school building and built with brick. It will hold the heat well. I have a cedar chest full of afghans crocheted by my mother and these things keep you really warm. Plus I have heavy robes, nightgowns, sweaters and sweatshirts. Did I mention I am a hot person? Yes, usually I am too hot rather than too cold. The electric heaters are the baseboard type, so Rabbit can get as close as he wants. He seemed to like the wood stove in the winter time at my house. We are ready!


First sign of fall!




Copyright © 2018 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2018  Kathleen G. Lupole