I’ve been staying off my feet in hopes that my ankle will heal. It’s been over a week, and it’s still really sore and colorful.

My daughter, Kelly, will be arriving tomorrow night and I want to be able to show her a good time with lots of activities. Sadly I know I’m going to have to continue to take it easy today and tomorrow. At least it’s feeling somewhat better this morning.

I need to do laundry and some last minute shopping. (Need to get detergent before I do the laundry.)

I wasn’t looking forward to this morning because I had an eye doctor appointment an knew that meant I’d have my eyes dilated which I hate. (My eyes have a tendency to stay dilated longer than normal.)

I limped in as a result of the ankle injury which my daughter, Kelly, felt I should have checked out.

My eyes were fine.

Since the emergency room of the hospital was right next door to the eye doctor’s office, I felt I didn’t have an excuse so I stopped at the hospital and had my ankle x-rayed.

Thank heavens it’s not broken. I was told to wrap it with an ace bandage and stay off it. (That really helped and right now it feels much better.)

But there were other complicating problems. I was told by the hospital that my Medicare and AARP supplemental insurance addresses still showed my Michigan address.

Once home, I tried to fix the problem.

I started with my AARP supplemental insurance and spent two hours and five minutes (most of the time on hold) trying to resolve the problem. When I changed my address, it prompted the cancellation of my prescription plan, and I was never able to set up a new plan. I’ll try another day.

I did get my Social Security and my Medicare plans moved to my Florida address.

But the day wasn’t totally miserable. My friends/neighbors the Cochrans (Terre and Norm) had invited me over for “happy hour.” Several glasses of yummy wine and muchies helped. Those two are gems. Both are fun and conversational. I enjoyed my evening with them.

I’m so lucky to have friends like them!!

I’m planning to stay off my feet today. Last night I stood up quickly and my foot was asleep. Immediately I heard a crack and had pain. I feared I’d broken something. Today my ankle is sore, but it isn’t as bad as I’d feared. I am babying it and hope that it’ll be ok in a day or two.

I went to the South Club Pool for a couple hours. After having lunch from the grill, I got in the pool and soaked. I ended up in the hot tub for a while. I noticed the ankle had swollen more so I went back home and wrapped it with an Ace bandage. I have my foot up and I’m taking it easy.

I took an invitation to John’s Celebration of Life to the KP Sportsman’s Club today (inviting any interested) and was surprised at how warmly I was received.

John was a charter member. It somehow didn’t seem right to have his name removed from the membership list so I joined. I don’t know how often I’ll attend but I’d like to go to the race track with the club. That was always so much fun and the food was super. I hate to think of driving that far, but maybe I can find someone who I could ride with.

I sat with some nice folks and maybe there are others who will “take me in.”

Before the Sportsman’s Club meeting, I attended a meeting for Nantucket V to plan the Christmas party.

Moving all the lanai furniture and sweeping it every day or two is already old. I discovered that my Roomba works great out there. Sure there are places that aren’t swept as good as you’d get from a broom, but the iRobot device works better than nothing, and I don’t have to do it. I just take it out there and turn it on. Same is true of the patio. I feared it would fall off the patio, but it senses the edge and turns around.

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A thump on the lanai alarmed me. As it turned out, it was my new white shaggy area rug being delivered (a day earlier than they’d said).

Finally something is perfect! The shag is longer that I’d thought but it closely resembles the rug John had picked out at Kanes. Obviously we didn’t get back to buy the one in Brandon but now that I have a similar one I can see what his vision was. Love it.

And the favorable comments about the back splash have changed my mind about it. I’m now really satisfied. In fact, I’m pleased with everything.

This week is fairly busy. Tomorrow morning I hope to go to Sit and Get Fit and stop by the Michigan Club table. In the afternoon I want to go to the Orchid Club meeting. Tomorrow night I’ll stop at karaoke and have Taco Tuesday for dinner. Wednesday I have a conflict of activities. I was planning to go to the 3:00 Sportsman’s Club meeting and invite any of John’s fellow members to the celebration of his life but I have a Nantucket V Activities Committee Meeting at 2:00 Hopefully I can leave in time to stop at the other meeting. Thursday I may go to Sit and Get Fit again and my friend Evie arrives for the winter months. Friday I plan to meet her at the pool.

So many times I’ve made decorating mistakes. Not everything is wrong, but too often, things aren’t exactly as I’d hoped.

I had what I thought would be a very stylish stainless back splash installed this morning. Unfortunately wherever the 12 x 12 sheets meet up, it is noticeable. I think I’ll get used to it, but right now it’s distracting.

Tomorrow the off-white rug will arrive. I’m fairly certain it will be a success.

I have been busy getting my condo in order.

Yesterday my red chair and the bright pattered rug arrived. The rug is really attractive but doesn’t work in this room at all. My plan had been to put it under the coffee table but the background is too gray to look good on the floor. The featured color is an orange-y red. The chair and my pillows clash with it completely because they are a rosy red. Thank heavens I only paid about $60 for the rug. I’ll try to sell it.

I’ve ordered a shaggy off-white rug to go under the table. That’s what John wanted, and he was right. It’ll set the chair off beautifully. It should be here early next week. It’ll look a lot more elegant. I thought the bright rug would be fun, but it doesn’t work at all!! I got the off-white one on sale for a real bargain price. It was discounted about 75%.

Right now I’m waiting for an installer to come by to give me an estimate on the installation of a back-splash for the kitchen. It depends on how much he wants to charge and how many tiles it’ll take. I have a mental limit in mind.

It looks like having the brick pavers installed on the driveway and sidewalk will continue to wait awhile. I want to finish the inside before I do anything expensive like that. I still need to pay for the roof over the patio. That should happen next month.

I had almost forgotten to turn in the trip insurance for the flight I’d bought for John. We were supposed to fly from Michigan to Florida on October 9th. Maybe it’ll even pay more than the ticket price, but I doubt it. I sent the forms out today.

And I am surprised that my home owners’ insurance is going to pay a small percent of the value of my jewelry that was stolen the day I got here from Michigan. I planned to buy myself a replacement chain or ring, but I think I’ll put the $$$ toward some of the improvements.

I could have gone to a singles dance last night but it was rainy night and I didn’t feel like going out. Besides it’s too soon go to a social outing where folks are trying to meet up. This afternoon there’s a singles travel club but I don’t want to travel so I’m skipping it.

I am looking forward to an improvement in the weather. It’s supposed to clear up and be less humid toward the weekend. I want to clean the lanai and set it up with the cushions for the lanai chairs, and wash the big slider window. Yup, I have lots to do and I want to get to the pool.

Every morning I get up and I make my bed. With the new, fancy bedspread. I take my time and when it looks close to perfect, I leave the bedroom in my robe. In the great room, I say, “Good Morning, Alexa.” She always replies with a phrase that gives me information on the day. (Maybe it’s “National Pizza Day” or “Techie Day” or some other assignment.) As I go to the kitchen, I sometimes ask her for the weather, or the news.

I then often ask her to play Willie Nelson’s “Something You Get Through”. I listen and sing along while I make my coffee. (If you click on the blue link, you can see the video and read the lyrics.)

My morning continues with a couple cups of coffee, a review of my calendar so I’ll know my schedule, and a review of my finances. (For years, I have updated my income and expenses every day so I know where I stand.)

Today I have a couple things on my calendar. At 10:00 am I need to take my car in to be serviced. I want the oil and tires checked. I am sure everything mechanical is fine, but I want it checked to be sure.

From there, I am going to the Moose Lodge in Ruskin. My brother sent me a license plate from the Moose Lodge on Drummond Island. Lodges hang them to show where their guest come from. I’m hoping that’s the practice at this lodge.

I’ll probably head back home. At 4:00 the big Kings Point Garage Sale will start. It’s just for residents from 4:00-6:00. Tomorrow morning it’ll open for the general public.

I have no plans for the rest of the weekend. Maybe church Sunday. Maybe the pool.

I’m still waiting to be assigned to a team so I’ll know when I work for the Emergency Squad.

I’m also going to be volunteering to work at the Hospice House. I’m hoping that I can be there for others to provide advice for handling the loss of a loved one.

It’s been a HOT spell. In fact the other day was the hottest day in October on record. But the past few mornings it’s been a tiny bit cooler with temps in the low 70’s when I’ve awakened, and it has been in the 80’s to the low 90’s most of the day.