Where She Moved Back Upstairs (And Other Stories)

So I haven't told you I moved downstairs and slept on our couch for 8 months. (Eight whole months?!) 

Yes, it began the day after spending 3 nights at the hospital in November. None of us trusted me on those 12 stairs up to my room(s) at night, so after a couple trips up there for clothes, my laptop, etc., I camped downstairs. Later in February, you may remember, I had to literally crawl up the 3 (kinda 4) stairs from the backdoor to the kitchen, so I felt grateful for 'my new room'.

Well, go couch camping and you make a large adjustment. I missed my privacy and got that living in a store display window feeling. Install a stair climbing chair, instead? We felt too overwhelmed already.

Besides, I'd just think about upstairs and couldn't shake the feeling of 'bad juju'. Up there is where I could have, well, bled to death had I stayed and just tried praying or brushing it off. So honestly, I wasn't antsy to move back.

But anyway!

Last week I realized the time had come to return to Debra's World upstairs (long story). I shook-off the bad juju thing, prayed up there, then moved back.

And here I happily am. Life up here feels lovely again.

And too, I saw on a Youtube video that if a person still easily can, it's best to do stairs for as long as you're able. It's one of those 'use it or lose it' things. Stop climbing stairs and you'll stop being able to climb them. For me, it's too soon for that, and besides, I'm fine on them now. I feel at least 95% back to my good old self.

Moving on ...

For 45 or more years I reused those twist ties that come (came?) on packages of bread. Kept them in a little clear jar. But now it seems they use only those square tiny plastic things that break and are beyond annoying. 

So this felt ultra-weird, but I actually bought some (200?) small twist ties! I think they were from Walmart. 

Elmer, the times, they are a changin'.  シ

And one last thing: Do you ever watch the Recollection Road videos on Youtube? Mostly he shows us videos of the way Life was while we of a certain age were young. 

Now, I love those vintage style videos, but oh my, the hopelessness in the comment section afterward! All those whines of how those times are gone forever, we'll never get them back and how these present days are garbage in comparison. Blah, blah, blah.

Come on, People.

Life has always been only as good as we make it. Lots of those things on Recollection Road are still doable today. The picnics. The mall shopping. The family reunions. The sweet Christmas gatherings, potlucks, and music from any decade. Dressing-up to go downtown, sitting on porches, visiting vintage car shows or concerts in the park, etc.

Always, Times have been hard in one way or another, but it's been people who have pulled themselves together and made the best of them. Done what they could to have fun and create memorable times for their children to recall in their old age.

And there comes a time where we in our own difficult days, can choose to concentrate upon what's going right, rather than what's changed and gone wrong. Where we can create wonderful moments, ourselves, to remember forever.

It was a choice back in The Good Old Days and remains a choice in these times, as well.

During couch camping days, I'd kept some of my clothes on a hutch shelf in Tom's office, but once they were back upstairs, I placed unopened spices there (in a box I spray painted blue) along with larger bottles of spice and salt. I love the way they look on that glass shelf behind a glass door! Truly it's the small things.

Also, I so enjoy buying garden seeds from sellers on Ebay. Usually they're very inexpensive (like $1.35 to $2.50 ish) with no shipping charge or minimum purchase required. Plus, it's cool knowing I'm planting seeds from regular folks' gardens.

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Movies We've Enjoyed Lately: 

The Sheep Detectives (absolutely loved this)

Meet The Robinsons (adorable. How did we miss this one?)

A Great Awakening (much better than I'd thought. I'm usually not a fan of period pieces, tho,' if they're based on true stories, I tend to like them.)

Harold and the Purple Crayon (truly enjoyed the humor of this.)

The Unbreakable Boy (another Zachary Levi film, one based on a true story. We so enjoyed it, tho' a few moments were tough to watch.)

Tender Mercies (what took us so long for this one, too?)

Hellfighters (with John Wayne. A second watch for us.)

Tom Wopat's 3 County Line movies. (more second watches. The 3rd one was a bit dark.)

Fountain of Youth (a new film with a vintage feel to it.)

Hail Mary (took me around an hour to get into this(!), but Tom liked it from the beginning.)

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I recommend watching movies and videos which make us feel grateful for the Life God gave us.

Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. *** "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15