September 2019 Newsletter Edition
I've been doing a lot of planning for my life during September. This hasn't been easy. I am contending with my physical challenges and chronic pain while doing this. However it is the systems that I decide for my life that are going to make the difference and give me the best quality of life that is available.
The home office paper shredder I purchased was delivered. I am in a bit disappointed in it. It has the height I need making it easy to use. What is disappointing me is that the wheels on it don't swivel. I can't imagine why the manufacturer choose this style. I reached out to the manufacturer to suggest this be approved upon.
I've used my construction skill set to plan for how to modify this. I've done some measuring and have ordered a set of 4 swivel wheels + suitable screws for attaching them. It will be a few weeks for these to arrive. I am sure I can get through it. The idea of having swivel wheels on the paper shredder is a long term strategy. It is so the paper shredding doesn't pile up on me because of not feeling 100%. As long as I am able to get electricity to the paper shredder it is viable for me to use it as a quieter activity when I feel weak.
One of my neighbors has very graciously helped me. He dug out about 16" of dirt from my window well and filled this with gravel. During the previous winter I saw how the melting snow caused water to go throw the base of the window and into my basement. The gravel gives a different path for the water. It helps get water below the frost line and avoid pouring into my basement.
Another strategy I undertook was plumbing in my countertop dishwasher directly to the hot water supply line and discharge drain. This allows me to free up the kitchen sink. I am finding it too hard getting to the bathroom to brush my teeth. It is easiest for me to brush my teeth while I am already in the kitchen to fill up my water bottle. I need the kitchen faucet to be free for this purpose. It is very hard for me to plan around my body. I need to have a system for brushing my teeth that is flexible. This also will be helpful for when I am forced to hire a cleaner.
I've planned a new strategy for my meal preparation. I am going to cook and free about 3 months worth of meals at a time. It is just going to be so much easier. Then when I am doing ok I can focus on tasks that I find rewarding and in my pursuit of self employment. To this effort I purchased a 16 cubic foot refrigerator that doesn't have a freezer. I have two chest freezers for storing cooked meals. I have purchased a commercial kitchen set of metal shelves for holding the non perishable groceries.
I decided I'd pay a visit to a local flooring business. I wanted to ask what is available for flooring that will be compatible with my power wheelchair. My power wheelchair effectively chewed up the inexpensive flooring installed by the previous owner. You need a commercial grade. To my surprise the cost of commercial grade flooring has come down. I am really amazed. $4 a square foot would provide me with flooring that is suitable for the power wheelchair and should list between 18 and 22 years. When I inquired about this 8 years ago I was looking to spend between $7 and $11 a square foot. It is wonderful that new options are available and this isn't prohibitively inexpensive. I certainly may plan for this when I receive an upcoming inheritance installment.
I ended the month of September by ordering a set of studio microphones. My goal in this is to make audio versions of the books I plan to write. I did a lot of research and found a quality set. When these arrive I will draw up some plans to build an audio cabinet. I am really hoping that by spring 2020 I have the deep cleaning and purging of my home complete and that I am very close to spending my time pursuing self employment and enjoyable hobbies and am able to move on from being focused on the systems for how I manage my life.