December 2019 Newsletter Edition
When I've been feeling ok I spent my time in December focused on my home, weather station and pursuit of self employment. I'm trying to make it easier for me to live here on account of the challenges my hips and knees are causing me. I've been focused on the fundamental systems I need in place that are used as I live out my day to day life.
My countertop dishwasher wore out and needed to be replaced. I just connected this to my homes plumbing a few months. It is too bad it needed replacing so soon after this. The model that wore out cost me $30. I bought it from a neighbor when they had a yard sale. I got my $30 out of it. It is truly amazing how far the technology has come over the past 5 years. The new model is quieter and also has the option for extra cleaning cycles when the dishes are really dirty. When I purchased the countertop dishwasher it was the one thing I needed in place to have my independence again following my hip replacement surgery in 2015. Although I need other 'systems' it does still fill the same need as in 2015. It is just too hard for me to do the leaning involved in washing my own dishes.
I purchased a powered bathroom cleaner this month. It has a long handle and the end that has the brush on it pivots. I am not able to clean the tub the normal way. It is just way too hard for me. For the time being this fills a need. It should keep me going until I hire a house cleaner.
I used Christmas money to purchase a magnetic handheld shower head. The shower head mount broke about 8 years ago. I didn't have the precision needed to put the shower head back in the holder and broke it. This was on account of my hips. A magnet mount for a handheld shower head has more 'forgiveness' than a traditional shower head holder.
In mid December I placed a massive grocery order to get me through the next 4 months. I used WalMart Canada's buy online - pick up in store service. A friend drove me to pick up the groceries. It was very helpful. I have to think carefully about how I use my energy. It isn't a good use of my time to go around the isles of a grocery store. It doesn't leave me the time needed to both get done what is needed to keep myself alive and do something during that day that brings a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. I'll see how this goes. I have two chest freezers and a metal set of shelves typically found in a commercial kitchen setup in my kitchen. I cooked and froze my meals during the last 2 weeks of December. I'll see how this works out for me when the food runs low. Right now it is the best plan I could come up with (short of ordering meals for delivery).
The hard drive for my server wore out. This is the third time since April. The reason this one work out is likely a manufacturing defect. I did my research. I've purchased a pair of 1 TB SSD hard drives and a dual hard drive docker and a friend helped me set these up with raid (mirror images of each other). The model I selected is designed to last 199 years or 400 TB of write data. This should afford me the time needed to finish the deep clean of my home and transition into my self employment goals. I am trying really hard to help myself. I didn't have the time to put into this. But it had to happen.
On Christmas day one of the families in the community had me to their home for a meal. It was truly wonderful. It has been several months since I ate a cooked meal with someone. After supper we played a video game. Of course the children won. I had fun. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus.