Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

[Betty]

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Actually it's tomorrow, but many have their feast on Sunday.

[Angela M...]

Thanks Betty, hope yours is OK too but it isn't for awhile yet. Hope you are doing OK these days as I don't come here as often as I once did. Too much going on in my life the last two years, well every bodies lives also I guess. With you staying home most of the time and getting things delivered you will be safer than some from Covid I would hope. I have ventured out more this year for doctors appointments and the dentist as well and just got a haircut a few weeks ago as it was down to my shoulders and was bugging me. I am not used to long hair the last few years as people told me I look years older than I am. I said it was my Willie Nelson look. Stay safe Betty and I wish us all good health in the future.

[Betty]

Nice to hear from you old friend, it's been a while. I was worried. Stay safe!

[Angela M...]

Hi again Betty, hope you are staying safe too. It has been a hell of a ride and I bet it would be worse for you. They say groceries went up 40 % the last 6 months and I sure don't know where my money goes anymore. Owning a house is nice but sure ain't cheap and the same can be said for my car also. I may think about giving up the car and doing what you do ordering stuff online for delivery. I have had both shots of Phizer vaccine and only had mild discomfort after but now I don't know if I should get a Flu shot also. If I am staying close to home and having stuff delivered then maybe I can skip it. I saw awhile back you had to purchase a new Oxygen machine and hope it is working out OK for you. I know they are not cheap as a friend has one and she can't go far without it now so she is staying home mostly also. Anyway stay safe Betty and I will check in later.

[Betty]

Yeah, it's been a rough ride for most of us, especially us older folks. Prices have gone up faster on everything since the pandemic with no end in sight. Most of us had to downsize to smaller cheaper homes & vehicles. Had to sell off almost everything, including my vehicle when I first got COPD... I wasn't able to earn as much, & COPD is very expensive to survive -- with no cure, it gets worse & more expensive every year too.

Shop around ordering online, & don't stick to the same store all the time. The next month another one may have a better deal for the same thing. Some local markets also deliver cheap or free. You may also consider getting a friend or relative to run you down to the local stores for your fresh & frozen foods, then ordering the non-perishable items like dry goods, canned stuff, & household items from a national chain online (Wlamart, Target, Amazon, Bulk Foods, etc.), so you need less trips to the store. You can even get your wine online. If you buy your dry, canned, & other non-perishables that store on the shelf for years in bulk, you can save a lot of money.

My AC died & had to get a new one. The old one couldn't keep up anyway since I'm running an oxygen machine 24/7 -- those O2 machines give off heat like a space heater (cozy in the winter). The new AC keeps the place bearable on a hot day. Heat, humidity, & dampness is the worst for COPD. But the newer bigger AC draws more power, so the electric bill is even higher. Running a 350 watt oxygen machine 24/7 already made the electric bill too high.

I had to have it shipped to my niece's house almost 50 miles away. Then her, her husband, & her son had to bring it here, up the stairs, & install it. I can't make it down stairs myself, & get out of breath just walking across the room. So can't do that heavy stuff anymore. Due to the pandemic & the risks involved, I never moved out of my place to better place I selected. So I'm still in the same place for over 10 years now.

[Angela M...]

Sorry to hear it has been very hard on you these past years. Yes between inflation and lifestyle changes it gets very expensive as we get older. I used to scoff at those who said you need a million dollars to retire comfortably but now it seems it may be true. I am lucky to still have my house and no mortgage for many years now but the economy is taking it's toll on my savings as well as shelling out for things not covered by my health plan. Still I should not complain because it does no good and I am better off than some I worked with. My new health problems relate to prostate issues and all that goes with that problem. I am quite used to buying in bulk and stretching meals out to freeze for another day as my dad was very big on that having come through the war years. He was a bargain hunter and so am I so I check flyers and specials and plan my grocery trips so I am not going out of my way for a bargain especially now that gas is so high. I am not into buying online much yet but I am a good cook and often make things in bulk to freeze for another meal. It is my new hobby LOL. My exercise routine has suffered during Covid so now I am walking to nearby shops with my bags and have thought about buying a bicycle again but not sure if my ageing hips can manage that now. I have avoided having my back done for tha last two years also due to Covid and it is becoming more painful each week. Anyway enough of my complaining to you as I know you are also in a bad way and with your experience you would have fixed your A/C unit if it were possible. Now you will need to start putting on your heaters if we get the nasty weather they say we might. One more thing I need to check before winter sets in, my furnace but it is still nearly new (about 6 years old) so I should be OK. Stay well Betty and I am glad you still have some relatives you can count on when you need to. Mine all think I should be taking care of them and seem to disappear when I need help.

[Betty]

My sister comes over from about 40 miles away to help me with stuff around the house once or twice a month, but she also has severe back problems, arthritis, & diabetes so it's hard for her to do much. I got help with the AC from my niece's family after some persuading & begging. My family pretty much ignored & abandoned us after their parents died.

They say they're not homophobic, but they seem to want to help strangers, the homeless, puppies, kittens, whales, & trees more than their elderly lesbian aunt & their old gay uncle. We're ignored & avoided by most of them most of the time. We're like the black sheep of the family because we're gay. There's other gays & lesbians in the family, but they don't know about it.

[Angela M...]

I don't see much of my brother and his family or my sister and her husband either and they all don't live that far away. This year they can blame it on Covid but it has been like that for a number of years and even when our mother needed help it was always me right down to cleaning out her house after she passed away and that took a year all by myself. They were there for the reading of the will and getting their inheritance money though. We have many and varied people in our family from Gay to Bi and Trans and Non-binary. My nephew of 11 years is now my niece and my niece of 19 years is now non-binary but leaning towards presenting as a male. We have a connection and understanding but they do not know that I would call myself Transgender but was told at an early age to Get Over It or go to a mental institution by my parents and my doctor ( a friend of the family). I am not sure if my sister remembers all those times I got caught dressing in her clothes or my ballet leotard and tights hanging on the laundry room clothes line with holes poked in them thanks to my mother. Mom remembered those times as she drifted in and out of Dementia and would just sort of blare it out like "remember when". Anyway I am still able to do some repairs around my house stubbornly because I don't want to pay somebody to help. I did a tune up on my furnace because the company was on strike and just installed bathroom taps. I was going to fix my deck but the wood is rotting in some spots and I have no way to bring in new lumber. Delivery is almost as expensive as the lumber itself nowadays so I may need to re-think that one. As a senior I may check with the high schools to see if they teach carpentry and do the work for me at a discount. We did when I was in high school in the 60's but that was a long time ago. I remember getting my first car fixed in shop class for the cost of parts back then. Oh well this has gone on long enough, take care Betty.