Tag: iPhone

Clean Underwear Brings Joy, A Payroll Mistake, and Do Not Disturb Brings Focus on iPhone

On By BackporchwriterIn Home, Life, Productivity, Psyche, Self-Help, Work6 Comments
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

In an effort to determine what I will be blogging about this morning, now that I am given the opportunity, I have determined that the main event, other than back to work, is laundry. I don’t know how we accumulated so much extra. I was only a couple of days behind schedule but seemed to have twice the loads. So the first part of this week was doing laundry so we had clothes to wear. And I had to do it quickly. We were running out of undies! lol

Photo by ud83dudc34chuanyu2015 on Pexels.com

No these are not mine! It’s the Pexel app’s photo but I thought it would make you laugh. Here’s my half of the laundry. The whites are currently in the load now. I have to take those out this morning and then wash a sweater on gentle.

We are mostly unpacked, except for a few sacks of kitchen items but need to send our suitcases to the basement.

Last night I cooked spaghetti after getting my pants ironed for the week. I was down to having to wear jeans but now they are washed – but our company prefers that we wear jeans only on Friday – not that everyone does, but I got a couple of pair of dress pants ironed. (I wash and hang most of my clothes as they last longer that way. But it does mean pressing them at times. Mostly my pants and any cotton blends that might have gotten wrinkled while sitting in a “to be folded stack”. I’m not here long enough nor awake long enough to finish a cycle through completely unless it is Saturday or Sunday.)

George caught up the finances a bit. I cleaned the kitchen also before cooking spaghetti. It was a mess and I cannot cook with a mess to begin with.

So coming back from a trip – there is a lot to do as you miss a weekend but still have those things that need doing to get back to normal. There are few hours to do it in when you are leaving the house in the 6 o’clock hour and don’t get back until almost the 6 o’clock hour again. So we’ve done well with the – what – four hours – that we’ve had to do laundry and finances and another quick stop at the store for whatever Sunday’s late day trip we didn’t get.

The floors need vacuuming terribly but I”ll try to get to that tonight. I also need to do an Amazon order.

I turned in my PTO request for my colonoscopy date and also for Thanksgiving week in which we plan to go to Texas. I know my employer doesn’t want to have to do payroll but I deserve to get a full week off and at least I’ve picked one where there are two HOL dates. I have not taken off that week in what two years now so that others could, so I’m requesting that week off. In my job there IS NOT ANY good time to take off for a trip to TX. TX is hot during the summer and the months I want to go when Katy is off, are always quarter end. I think they will have an extra room for us by then. As the remodel is almost finished.

Speaking of quarter end, it is month end and quarter end again, so I have many many many more boxes to check off of across the next month and will be working eagerly to get all that done.

It seems like the virus thing is no longer a part of our world around here. Although in China and other parts of the world there is a union of the two latest versions – which I think they called them DeltaCron or something like that. I don’t know much about it but just when things seem quiet, another round comes, but at least people are getting tired of talking about it and hearing about it so maybe it will just be dreaded flu and go away. I am still doing temperature checks, but I swear I see no other person’s doing it, lol. Most enter the side of the building and there’s no thermometer there. But I still do it. It’s always 95. If I had a real fever it would still show normal. Cracks me up.

Tonight maybe I can get the kitchen floor done. George wants me to give him a hair cut. Maybe I can get my Amazon orders done.

Mom’s doc appointment is Friday and is earlier in the day so I’ve stayed some extra and gone in early to make up for it, plus we have quarter end now so I’ll be having to work extra anyway. Then Saturday is Fancy’s trim, furniture shopping, AT&T store, bank, and grocery or whatever else Mom needs. Maybe unpacking a box or two and taking her out to eat, so anything we do this weekend will have to be done on Sunday. I would suggest taking her to church but we have to have a day to get our things done. So it’ll have to be a quick devo Sunday.

I made a mistake on payroll last week. There is a screen you enter through and then press save and it creates any auto pay for the week. It’s where HOLIDAY pay is created. So on a normal week I just enter enter enter enter like four times – just enter through the screen. And it is a necessary step. Someone had been in my office talking to me and when they left I entered the screen again because I didn’t think I had done it yet. Well I was trying to figure out where I left off. It’s such a quick screen and you don’t really think about it. Well apparently I had already done it. I have since learned that this same screen not only sets up HOL pay (which I didn’t enter as it wasn’t a HOL week) but it sets up SALARIED pay each week when you tab through it. So guess what? For this particular state’s payroll, the salaried people got paid twice. Live and learn. Sometimes we don’t know the purpose of things but are just taught to do them. Anyway, we know now. And that made me set up an array of rules.

One of the things I’ve learned in my management career is that when something goes wrong, you fix it but not only that, you keep it from happening again. This is such a simple step – it’s easy to overlook it and easy to do twice. So I made up a new rule.

When I do payroll I’m shutting my door and also putting on Do Not Disturb on my phone. I was worried about serious calls not being able to go through but if something serious is happening they’d be calling 911 anyway for immediate help. All other calls can wait til payroll. I was also soothed to know that if it’s a real emergency someone only need to to call twice. I think favorites might be allowed through but not sure. I just know that I don’t want any more conversation during payroll closing. Because at 59 it’s already hard enough to concentrate and remember where you are, lol!!!!!

I also decided to block two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon to give me some focus time so that none of my apps come through with notifications in those hours. I mean it adds up. I have allowed these items on my alerts so that I will know I have comments/alerts:

  1. Weather
  2. Texts
  3. Word Press Comments
  4. Facebook Comments
  5. Instagram
  6. News – both a national and local

And while I don’t look at my phone every time an alert goes off, I realize that it is becoming increasingly distracting. I didn’t used to get the news but with so much going on with the Russia thing I started to keep up with a few things. So it’s easy to look at your phone and get sucked in to what is happening in the moment. I thought it best to just give me two hours of uninterrupted time.

Why did I choose those hours? I figure it’s best not to go “missing” until the 9 a.m. hour in case any family is having emergencies getting to work or getting up for the day. My lunch is usually falling somewhere in b/w 11 and 1 so I just left that open. And then after 3 the day is winding down and that leaves room for last minute emergencies and such. People at work can get me on my office phone or call me twice during those focus hours.

How did I do this? Go to your settings on an iPhone and then find your Focus setting and go from there to turn on Do Not Disturb. When it’s on it will show a moon on your Home Screen.

I also decided to try CALM again as long as I don’t have to pay but so far it’s annoying because everything you try to do requires premium. You have to search for the free stuff and I’m not paying for this app. There’s too much else I can do to find “joy” and “peace” for free. But I did like this saying below. It’s just a reminder that YOU are YOUR OWN being and despite how others try to control every darn little thing you do, they just really don’t get to. At least the mood check in is free. Yes another alert. I allowed this one to alert me for a mood check in two or three times a day. I am interested to see how it turns out.

George has really been pressing me lately saying I let others control my mood. He is right to some extent. It’s more my personality to worry that I’m not doing something right or not meeting some responsibility or worry that I’m missing something, and wanting to please people that are NEVER going to be pleased. And I’m conditioned in some areas to respond in certain ways or to certain demands. So I’m working on that. I don’t want anyone to try and take advantage of my feelings or make me feel guilty, or manipulate me in any way, or play games with me – so I’m trying to learn and understand my personality and how to take control of certain things. And to find my joy again. It’s been a struggle with near depression lately. I’m finally digging myself out. This trip helped a lot and getting some sunshine and getting away from everything.

But I’m ready to get quarter end done, ready to work on some of my lists, and goals, and even ready to help Mom with her goals. As George reminded me, her needs are met we just need to work on the things she wants at this point – aside from the weekly medical needs and groceries and such which we are doing.

And that is about all I have for today. Just a mid week update. The week is going by fast. Our spring time is filling up on the calendar too – lots of fun and events coming – and some of my own doc appts as well. I also have one more appt to set but I’ll wait til April to set it so I can spread them out across the year.

Have to have some dental work done too. Anyway, enough smack talk for today, lol! I guess in summary you can say we are just barely keeping our heads above water here in this thing we called life. I mean at this point, you can say that having clean underwear at least brings some joy! Yeah we are down to that.

Busy Holiday Season in the Making and Setting up My New iPhone 13 Pro Max

On By BackporchwriterIn Lifestyle, Tech4 Comments

Good morning! God provides just what I need when I need it. He plugs a little glimpse of nature here and there into my day.

It has been a quick and busy week. Not sure I mentioned the dishwasher is on the blink. The guy comes to fix it Monday. Til then we have all been taking turns doing dishes.

They came to fix Mom’s screen door on her patio yesterday and she put some pots and pans up. George took her to the mattress store as he picked her up from her house on the way from work and they stopped and she ordered the new adjustable mattress and the extender frame (or whatever she needs for the other room). The new mattress is supposed to deliver on Tuesday. We’ll see. She is still not moved in yet. And won’t be til mattress comes in and is set up.

Our neighbor has agreed to help George move her final few pieces of furniture Saturday. Then perhaps we can make more progress and get her set up to live there. Her kitchen and pantry and closet are about the only thing that is “ready to go”. I expect that she may be able to stay there as early as next week if the mattress arrives and all is set up.

Today we have an eye injection appointment. And since the office is closing down early (everyone – but me – gets to go see the new offices and will be provided lunch). I’m so disappointed but trying not to think of it. Yesterday I started packing up my office to bring things home. I just decided I have short weeks until the move. Not going to be there much. Next week is Thanksgiving, a 3 day week and the one after we are going to the mountains at the end of the week, so – there is only time to rush through work and no luxury of time to work on packing. So yesterday I began packing personal things and bringing them home. I’m not sure what the area will look like so I don’t know if my current decor will work. I’ll bring everything home and start over. I may even use some of the plants I had bought from my office, for home use. I will need to snag some boxes from the basement to bring more home today. I boxed up all of our 2020 records and moved those around the office and labeled them and now my back, shoulders, and alignment is acting up again like they did with last week’s move of Mom’s clothes. The TMJ seems to be back and forth. It loosens up with coffee. But never went back to the severity of the first day. My right knee and right arm/rotater cuff is worse from lifting all the weight lately with all the moves. As one of my dear friends says “honey, we are not spring chickens any more and we can’t do things like we used to”. So as of now, it my last official time to move these boxes. Someone else will have to move them around. I can pack ’em but someone else going to have to move them around. I’m resigning from lifting as of this writing. 😉 My friend is right. I’m not a spring chicken any more. I will likely take Tylenol to get through the day.

My iPhone 13 Pro Max came in Wednesday. The phone instructions at sign on, made it easy to switch the phone with a few exceptions. I was pleased all my apps, photos, contacts and everything switched over exactly as it was on the iPhone 8s. I only stayed up an hour past bed time to make sure all was well so I would be ready to go in the morning and not have any issues.

Well, duh. I went to hit my audible app to listen to my current audio book and it wouldn’t let me. First of all I had to sign in, then it told me there was no network available. What? I’m on 5G? Well, what I had done was set my phone apps up – which I guess was like a computer. And at home on my WiFi it all worked fine. Didn’t think to text or call anyone. So my cellular service was still attached to the other phone, lol lol lol! Oh me. So I got to work and after my garnishment check run, I looked on line to see if it was something I could do immediately to make it work w/o having to switch SIM cards etc. Is that what you call it? My old phone, and my new box and instructions were all at home. So I found the AT&T activation link on their website. Luckily since I ordered from AT&T it came loaded with the card and I was able to immediately activate this phone to use my cell number. It took them about 5 to 10 minutes to make it active. I was worried having Mom now to be responsible for, that she would not be able to reach me. So I resolved that. And I had an audio book on the way home. All that said I think I’ll like the new phone. I will try to do an entry soon with the differences that I like and what I’m having to get used to. There’s no home button anymore and that wigged me out at first. Screen shots are different and powering on and off is different. I’ve had to google a lot to get going with it. But I like the changes so far. Can’t wait to try to photography and the charging is supposed to be faster with the new charging cord/plug. I have more memory. But it’s heavier. And I need a new phone holder for the car. It’s going to be too heavy for my magnet based holder.

The commute has been less than desirable lately – time wise. It’s taken 45 min to an hour some days to take the back way due to traffic and stop lights and school zones. So I may have to take the interstate some, but maybe it will calm down with the schools out. I don’t know it may be worse and everyone will be OFF and OUT getting ready for Thanksgiving. Who knows. I’m just sick of the long lines of traffic and it’s about to get longer. I guess we’ll have to see how this new work place goes. I wish they would allow for remote work. But no I don’t think they trust us to get our jobs done at home as they mentioned they did not have the technology to manage that. I guess that is what they meant. I’m only guessing. And mostly they don’t have the equipment. But that would sure be a nice option to have. A lot of companies are allowing remote work. I’d also be willing to do 4 ten hour days and have an extra day off. But I don’t know that anyone would be willing to work with us on things like that. That would be ideal and save a trip in and back and save gas. It will be what it will be and we will have to see how it goes. I just do not like being on the interstate anymore with all the crazie racers and gun waving uglies. The police can’t control them now it seems. The interstate is a free for all racetrack and crime ladened spree zone.

I have had to change the font size and line height on every dang paragraph that I have typed here. It has been the most annoying blogging experience that I have had for a while. I’m not willing to do this every time I blog. But it if I don’t it tries to make the font really big and the spacing far apart. I’m not sure what is happening. Geez. I guess WordPress made some changes. But something has to give. I may have to change themes or something. I’ve been wanting to make some changes but it takes time and nothing is ever simple. I’m leaving the next paragraph as is for a test and we’ll see what it does when published. On my end it’s big font and too much line space in b/w:

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving. I am anyway. We each have what we need for cooking. And I will also do my Christmas cards that day. The day after Thanksgiving and over the weekend I’ll be doing our tree and decorating. And if Mom has moved I’ll also move into the bigger room because I’m becoming squeezed out of my office with all the gifts we have bought. It’s getting tight in there and hard to move around. I’m also looking forward to getting the rest of my clothes back out and in use as well as more of the fall ones. I think we are ALL ready for this phase of Mom’s move to be done so we can get back to somewhat of our normal routines and spaces and way of doing things.

Good news, the new video is finished. I plan to schedule it for live at 7:00 a.m. CST tomorrow (Saturday). I will put a posting as I have time. Tomorrow morning is very busy! It’s Fancy trim, I have to provide breakfast for the crew, and also have to drop keys off at the old storage place, and then get Mom to her house to show them where the furniture goes, then get back and pick up Fancy at the spa. So big day. May not get to post that video is up until late in the day, but tonight I’m going to do a quick run through of it in private mode and make sure all ok before making it go live. It’s always been ok, but should something go wrong it won’t go live.

Meanwhile in TX. Guess who is pulling up and standing and also taking minor steps while holding on to things. He’s saying Momma, playing hide and seek that he starts with his parents, and becoming more interactive. He’s waving and learning a word here and there. He’s learning vocabulary even if he can’t say it yet. He knows names, people, dogs, his cartoon TV characters, lol. And he can give a kiss but with a full mouth open ha. He’s fun to face time with.

And I need to go. I will be back on Sunday. We have plans with my SIL and BIL after the move tomorrow so I don’t think I can hop on here until probably Sunday but I will try to at least post the video if I can!

It’s getting into the real crunch of the season here. I’m trying not to hyperventilate and take one moment at the time. I’m probably going to be late to work, have to get off early, work late on other days, go in early certain days – it’s just all haphazard at this point and we’ll do what we can and what we have time to do and the rest of it will have to wait. It is what it is.

I guess we’ll come up for air in February. Or maybe Spring. February we will be busy catching up on what all we are behind on. January is just impossible. lol Trips and Year end. I think I’m moving the new year goals out to March 1. lol. Can’t plan anything for Jan and Feb.

Ok Over and Out. I don’t have much time to get ready so I guess I’ll have to take the interstate this morning. ::sigh::

Moving Mom, Unpacking, Eating Out, Pleasing Others

On By BackporchwriterIn Home, Life, Lifestyle, Relationships6 Comments

Odd Schedules. I have overslept the past two days ya’ll! I have been awake in the early morning post-midnight hours (shopping on Amazon and checking email, and doing things I’ve not had time to do all day ) only to fall back asleep around 3:30 and to be woken up by George. It’s been the strangest things. My alarm set didn’t go off, or if it did it was on silent which was likely the case. Therefore I have felt so disorganized. I have been off my routine and schedule and it has thrown me for a loop. My shower, coffee, prayer journal, blog or video editing hour, all out the window. Blood pressure meds forgotten and taken later at night and having to get up at night several times (water pill that is in it). You would think a couple days off would not be so hard on a person, lol!

Mom’s Closing. However, having giving up all those said things above, I was able to get Mom closed on her house Friday. First of all on the way out (because with Mom you leave an hour before you really need to, lol) we had time to go sign her up for her Water service and stop at “Ready Teddy’s” for a breakfast sandwich. Mom laughed b/c she said “Ready Teddy’s” sounded like a sexy lingerie place instead of a coffee cafe. True That. I had never been – except for maybe a coffee through the drive through. We decided we only had time for drive through Friday before the closing but we had the BEST breakfast sandwiches. I mean REAL bacon, mayo, tomatoes that tasted like they were from the garden. We’ll be back there I’m sure. We had to laugh again at their “401k plan” to which we happily contributed.

Back at Mom’s house, most of the things had been done: The sod in place, the garage pressure washed, the blue electrical marking touched over. The screen door however, to the patio does not work. Oh they put it on, but it won’t slide. At all. I mean they had to known. It’s too big for the door. So I’m not sure what happens now. I feel like they will make it right but we’ve closed so it might be all Mom’s problem at this point. Also the dishwasher top pull out is really tight so she will likely have to contact the appliance company for that under the warranty. We don’t have the fobs to the clubhouse yet, but that may come later as the clubhouse had been hit by the tornado back last spring and it’s being remodeled. We “think” we have mail keys but there is no way to know what number her mail box is as nothing corresponds. It has a number on the key but that doesn’t work and there is no other corresponding number. There were probably 30 or 40 mail boxes – it’s almost like they do mailboxes in an apartment complex. And I wasn’t going to try all of the mail boxes so she’ll have to call and find out about that.

We went to Target and she bought sheets and towels and also kitchen towels and washrags. We did good to remember to bring her toilet paper stash from home, lol.

We were able to figure out how to “program” her keys. Thank goodness I video’d the explanation. It was pretty simple, just a bit awkward. I had never seen anything like that where you had to have a tumbler to reprogram keys. The original key we first got in with is no good but we programed her key set in all the key holes. If you program one key the rest of the keys cut the same way work. We were proud of ourselves for getting that figured out. We decided we didn’t need to paper the cabinets b/c it just needed a wipe out. So we are only putting papers in the utensil drawers. We will return the other liner to Lowe’s and get a bit of money back. We sealed her grout in the kitchen and also did the granite.

By this time we were ready to get a late lunch about 2 p.m. as we had done all we could do. Mom was getting tired. And so we went to Local Joe’s as we were both wanting “meat and three” – most of us just get a meat and two, lol. But we call a place that has the meats and veggies – a meat and three – for those not in the south. In some places they are called “cafeterias” if there is a line you go through like you do at Local Joe’s. Mom and I got catfish, lol. I got green beans and navy beans. Oh it was so good. Their hushpuppies had a bit of jalapeño in it – just enough to be good and not too hot. They also have yeast rolls which I said no to but Mom got one and shared a bite with me and it was so good. Then the man came around with fresh baked hot chocolate chip cookies and served us each one off the pan. No worries as they were small ones that met by “two bite” rule, ha!

I’m sorry I’ve not been good at taking pics lately. Life is just so overwhelming that I end up forgetting the blog and vlog and just diving into whatever is going on. Having an extra person to be responsible for just takes a lot away from you it seems. It’s all consuming as my thoughts are all wrapped up in trying to please her and anticipate what her next “thing” is going to be as she has such rigid rules and ways she likes to do things. The air has to be just right, certain doors left closed or open, and when we are doing things – she gives you several “to do’s” – look up this or that on the internet, lock this or that, close this or that, look at this or that. So I’m trying to explain why I don’t have time to take pics of things or even have my own thoughts. lol. I’m not trying to complain here just trying to explain why I can’t get pics taken of what we are doing. I can’t get her list checked off fast enough to whip the camera out. I’ve had to tell her two or three times in the last day or two “hang on – one thing at a time”. She will “stack you up” with to do’s like I’ve never seen. I remember it as a teen too. Of course as a child or teen she could do that. As an adult, she will have to wait til I can get to her. And I try to meet her needs on a whim but I’m only one person and I have needs too, so my thought time is being all taken up as is my creative time but we knew this would be a crazy period. So we just have to work through it. Both she and I will have to grow and maintain a bit of patience. It’s not all going to happen in one or two days or even a month. It’s going to be a very long and ongoing process to get her settled in. If indeed there is such a thing. lol.

When George is around I can get in more pics as he can entertain her for a few minutes so I can get a thought in edgewise, ha! So once George got home and did a few errands he needed to do, when he was ready we were going out to eat. Mom decided not to go. She didn’t want us to bring anything back. I think she is exhausted and overwhelmed. She is used to just sitting in recliner most of the day on her tablet scrolling. She will usually get up and do up some dishes or sometimes fix a dish or crock pot meal or a dinner. She fixes her quick meals and takes care of the dog but mostly is sedentary and so with us going around doing things all day – it just takes a lot out of her. She has not been getting her naps in the afternoons as much because of the calls she has made or we’ve been busy shuttling her here and there. So she is very very tired. So another reason I think she is so tired she doesn’t really even want much to eat.

So George and I went out on our own to M L Rose. It was kinda like a date night in a way. We had an hour wait so we sat at the bar and got a beer. They have a great tap. I got a hazy IPA which has kinda been my go to lately when we go out.

So we had a good time chatting and talking and then finally we got a table. This place is quite the restaurant favorite in Mount Juliet. There are several favorites but I think this is the new one.

My salad was really good. It was supposed to have blue cheese but it was feta. All good though. It was a strawberry walnut salad. I don’t think I even got chicken on it this time. I just really wanted to eat light as Mom and I had catfish for lunch. ;-). I drank a big beer size glass of water – true to my new goals – and so then when we ordered dinner I ordered a flight! LOL. It just kinda came out of my mouth when she said “what to drink?” I wasn’t driving – it’s been a long dang month and Mom just closed on her house so it seemed fine. They had a flight of local brewery favorites and it sounded so good.

But then……..While we ate dinner, George asked me if I would come out of my bedroom more. I’m like what???? Our conversation went something like this.

G: Will you come out of your bedroom more?

S: What? What do you mean? I’m hardly in there. I go to bed at 8:30 because I’m exhausted. I get up an hour early so I can get a bit of time to myself in the mornings and spend time in prayer and Bible reading, do my blog entry (which I’ve done for what 20 years or more now?) And then I rush off to work. When I come home I do chores and maybe get a sneak in time to do order’s on Amazon, check off things from my to do list, or check email before dinner as he likes to be the one to cook -so I have some time then to do chores and to do’s.

S: When are you thinking you want me to come out of my room?

G: Maybe come out of your room one morning a week?

S: And do what? What do you want me to do when I give up my “me time hour”? Watch you get ready for work? Watch you read YOUR email? What am I supposed to be doing with this hour?

G: Never mind, just never mind! I just want to watch our show again.

S: Well we can do that when we get to eat dinner on the couch when Mom is gone, and watch a show again. We can’t watch our show in the mornings, lol.

So I immediately clammed up. I don’t understand and if he can’t explain then I can’t help him. And he was unable to explain what he needed from me, other than he wants to watch our shows again. That is fine but usually after dinner is when we can do that and he is off in the back in the bedroom on the computer in Mom’s temporary bedroom. So………….give up that time? lol That is probably his only hour of the day to get things done. And then he has an hour in the mornings too and then he has an hour after I go to bed. If I get an extra hour it’s in the middle of the night at 1:30.

So I’m not sure what all that is about, but I clammed up because I just don’t understand what he wants from me and it immediately made me feel like I’m inadequate and not pleasing and I started to go into that mode of being frustrated to the point I wanted to cry until I remembered some of my recent training on relationships and boundaries and self-care and manipulation and all that. It’s the other’s responsibility to be able to state what they need. It’s NOT my place to try and figure it out and be made to feel guilty or controlled by another. So…….I immediately shoved it away to pat myself on the back for what all we have been able to do with the time we have.

If a need cannot be described then I can’t meet it. I can certainly watch a show with him but it requires him to be present too. I mean what do you do with that conversation? I decided to do nothing because I can’t deal with things I don’t know what I’m dealing with. I cannot meet a need if I don’t know what it is – to be fair. So other than this blog entry of simply mentioning it – I’m tossing it out the window. I will be happy to adjust when I know what the adjustment needs to be and it makes sense. I’m not going to give up an hour and sit on the sofa and just be there for the sake of just sitting there while others do things they want to do. That doesn’t make sense.

There seems to be an underlying problem but I am not sure what it is. Maybe he thinks I am too independent. Is he wanting to control my time? I have no idea. But he is not happy for some reason. I can’t fix everyone’s happiness if I don’t know what they need. ::Sigh:: So as I went to sleep I just gave it God. I’m only one person. I can’t please everyone. I try but it’s never good enough and it will never be. But I’m not going to suffer in silence if someone else cannot voice their opinion.

So I made the decision to get up the next day and do what I know to do. Live the best I can with God’s help and try to do as much as I can with the time we have and still be my own person somewhere in the process. We don’t get to really program those around us like they are a TV station we turn on and off. So I’m confused by the whole conversation. All that said, I’m still sad knowing there is some issue that I am unaware of what it is. Is he feeling insecure? Does he think something is going on with me? Is he worried about me? Or us? I have no idea. And it’s not healthy to make things up and not fair to me to have to guess. So out the window it must go. I have too many other things in my head to try to guess how someone needs to be pleased if they cannot tell me with words what they need. If it’s simply a show I can certainly watch a show with him but he needs to be present too, lol.

So yesterday morning, I took George to get the UHaul truck. It was a foggy cold morning. I went back to our house to load a bunch of Mom’s hanging clothes in the car from the basement. And put in all that I could put in my car.

George went to the storage unit and brought a load over. We unloaded a lot of corning ware and a lot of unneeded things. But we began washing things in hot dishwater. Much of it has been in the cabinets for years anyway. We put much of the corning ware up and her clothes that we took.

About 1 we went to Zaxby’s for a salad and got George a sandwich too. And that was good. We worked some more and Mom was worn out. She rested off and on and we quit working around 3:30 or 4 p.m. and headed back to the house.

George loaded boxes from the basement into the U-Haul and I loaded suitcases filled with Mom’s clothes from the basement as well as other boxes that I could lift and carry. We both had our own tetris games going.

Last night around 7 p.m. George and I went to get groceries and then went through this Hibachi drive through place and took dinner home. I took a shower and went to bed. I was up twice in the night since I took my BP meds late and then at 3:00 I just stayed up so I could get laundry done, put up the dry goods of groceries we were too tired to do last night, and be able to get my prayer journaling done and Bible reading and blog entry. I feel like a real person again. Sortof. lol.

But it is time to eat breakfast and get on with another busy day of setting up and unpacking. Furniture – most of it – won’t come until next weekend. We were supposed to go get my iPhone 13 today ordered but decided we will need to do it at night one night.

While in the drive through last night, I worked on setting up the “scheduled summary” on my iPhone after a recent update. I chose what apps I wanted to see notifications from at certain times of day ONLY. It seems lately that my phone is wanting my attention. I’m allowing calls, messages, weather, emergencies, and yes even WordPress notifications to come through immediately. But news items, Facebook, Instagram and other messages have to wait until certain times of the day. I’m ok to check it in the mornings and again at lunch, and again after work, and again before bed. I want to know what the headlines are but dang – they send alerts every few minutes so no more of that. It’s so distracting. I may change it to three times a day but I like kinda knowing what is going on with our nation so we have a heads up. Things are so volatile now.

Ok ya’ll what an entry! Let me know if you made it to the end. I’ll try to come back with a blog entry in the morning on Monday. I think today is Sunday, lol. I’m so off schedule. I have a busy 3 days coming up. I will do what I can to bring some pics back. I’m a little worried about this 3 day week but a lot will have to be shoved into the next week until I can catch up. It is what it is as no one is doing my job while I’m gone. So it will be what it will be. Again, hard to please and hard to be everything everyone needs me to be.

EVERYONE has NO CHOICE but to be patient including myself. I don’t have wings, don’t have a magic wand, and no magic potion. And according to some, I don’t have what it takes to make them happy or complete. But you know what? I have me, I have God as a resource. That may not be much. I may not mean anything or mean much to others than whatever it is that need from me at the moment it is needed, whether it be doing their laundry or setting up their household or getting their payroll done. But I am me and I am going to be happy with me even if no one else is. I know what I want. All I can do is try to understand and change accordingly to help others with what they want, if it is something I can provide or change or am willing to change.

Tribe…yeah, it spoke. 😉