Not yet a day of rest

Get your skate on, boy
We've been seeing on TV almost every day that Dutchies are skating all around the land. With all the Rhonda chores he's been busy with, Nico was beginning to feel left out of the fun. So, during the news last night, I gave him the push he needed to pick up his skates (which he'd brought down from the attic a week ago) and go get his fun on the ice.

A final big push
This was a little reward for working so hard yesterday as we (mostly Nico) finished painting the kitchen, the hallway and put a layer over the entire bedroom. (The yellow looks like color of sunflower petals!) Now, we only lack finishing the latter. We are to pick up one more bucket of cheerfulness yellow from Praxis after noon. And then we will surely be taking the exit from busy Painting highway onto Arrange Furniture Street by the time the sun sets on the ice today. Decorate Walls and Move In Avenue intersection is also somewhere near there.

Soon, we'll have some photos of the apartment to share. I'm really pleased with my decision to go colorful and I really appreciate the tireless work Nico has put into it. Me getting settled into my new place will allow him to get onto some improvements to his own house. And once I can learn to shop for groceries and the like, it will give him a lot more of his life back that was taken away after August 21.

Stress release
I'm already feeling the release of stress in the form of some sinus drainage, itchy eyes and utter tiredness. We made one last big push yesterday and such huge progress that my body now senses the approaching of the light at the end of the tunnel. It is typical that after the arrival of such a long anticipated goal, that I collapse with flu-like symptoms.

Another full week ahead
But, of course, therapy cannot be put on hold just because I'm eager to finish the apartment and get moved in. Every day, there is some sort of appointment. This week, I will have added Nordic Walking. I'm eager to get started with this as I think this will give me some good excuse for exercising outdoors (of course, after the snow has melted). I find lately that a bit of fresh air makes me feel better by the end each day.

Thursday is an especially important day as I will be going by the shoemakers to try on my new leg brace, shoes and inserts. Probably depending on how well everything fits, I will either get to take them home or things will have to be adjusted. Either way, I'm both looking forward to it and nervous about the results.

Odds and ends
We had a lovely visit from Mark and Lynn this week. They brought a delicious sauce with meatballs made for us by Jolande, a friend and colleague. We dug into it last night and it was delish! It was also delicious to have a night off from worrying about what to fix for dinner.

Lynn also brought an amazing herbal tea set which I'm crazy to try out with my pal Shiela who is as crazy about herbal tea. I'm not going to give away the surprise but I'll try to remember to describe it later.

I've been doing all kinds of chores since I came home and it's been good therapy and practice. This week, I began doing laundry for the first time (I don't trust Nico to separate properly) and it's gone quite fine. Normal everyday chores like setting and clearing the table, loading and unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming and cooking are much more chores than they used to be but at least I can manage.

One thing I probably need to talk to the doctor about is what to do about the pain I feel every day, especially in my joints. May I take a pain reliever throughout the day? What kind of effect do pain relievers have on the body long term? I've never been one for having pain so I really don't know anything about dealing with chronic pain. The things I never wanted to know.

I also got a letter from the city stating that it could take up to 16 weeks from the time of request on 11 November to get my scootmobile. So, I may rent one until it arrives. Before that can happen, we need to take some measurements of the first floor of the apartment building to see just what kind of scootmobile is the best fit.

You might think that I am doing well handling all of these things that I have on my plate. But it is taking it's toll. I desperately need a rest which is another reason I am anxious to get all of these things taken care of so I can get settled into some new way of living my new life.

Thanks again for keeping in touch by reading the blog. It means everything to know you're there.