FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

The week started real nice ! A theater group came to perform a funny play for us. It was a private group of older actors, but they were really very good. The play was hilarious, and we laughed a lot. Unfortunately, a few deaf residents had forgotten their hearing aids and, of course, couldn't understand a word. Somehow, it seems to be normal for hard-of-hearing people to always claim they hear perfectly well and that the hearing aid is just for "decoration." Rick actually did that too, I remembered, because I kept yelling, "Put your ears on!"

 

I also heard that a new female manager had been hired, the one we had and whom I liked, was only there as a replacement until they found the right one ! I wonder how many are to come because this lady is the 4th manager in the 2 1/2 years I am here. It doesn't bother me as long as it doesn't disturb my and the others comfort. 

The new one is a head taller then our little "old" one, I saw them from far, our "old" one just reaches the shoulder from the "new"one. They look like a slat and a pom-pom.. I have heard the new one is very nice. 

The next day the monthly birthdays were celebrated. This time the singer at least had a voice and sang French chansons from our youth. I had taken my tablet with me and while he sang I did a scrabble. So it was not so boring, French chansons are nice to dance, but only to listen .... not so much for me.  

But the best was the birthday cake, it was delicious. Not one slice was left !

With the new manager I noticed that also new staff had been hired. Of course, none of us knew about the new arrivals, so I had the pleasure of being asked by three different caregivers if I'd taken my medication. Each time I had to explain why I was here, and that I don't need any care yet !  I felt like I was living in a central station. And to top it all off, in the evening someone was scratching at my door and I heard strange noises in the corridor. I opened my door and saw a little hippie (her hair was all standing up) sitting in a leather armchair on wheels, almost disappearing into it. I had never seen this woman before, and she couldn't speak. Nobody was on my floor, and I certainly couldn't push that heavy chair. The woman was hitting her feet against the wall with all her strength (and she had plenty of it), which had made this noise.

 

I called a caregiver to have her wheeled back to her room. I have no idea how she got here with that heavy chair; someone who also suffered from dementia must have pushed her. Usually these residents with severe diseases are all on the 4th floor and locked in, because some of them always try to escape. That was enough for me, so I locked my door. Hopefully, things will calm down soon, once the new residents have settled in.

Ever since I had the Zona, my right eye felt not normal, I couldn't describe it, sometimes it hurt a little bit and sometimes it just had a strange feeling. As Zona can be dangerous for eyes, I called my ophthalmologist and when he heard the word Zona, he gave me an appointment for the very next day; otherwise, I would have had to wait a month! 

It was just lunchtime, when I arrived, there were still five people ahead of me. Then his assistant had me look through various machines, printed out the results, and brought them to my doctor. I've known him for at least 20 years; back then, he was just starting, without an assistant and without so many machines. Now he has worked his way up to become one of the best ophthalmologists, and his office is always full. I was really glad that my eyes were in good condition, that absolutely nothing was wrong with them. 

 He gave me eye drops in case my eye was too dry, now I'll see. I was so relieved!

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

It's rather cool for end July, and we are locked in. We have two new ladies and I am not the youngest anymore ! Now I have one who is 4 years younger then I and the other one two years older. But it is still a long way to reach Gilberte who celebrated her 103 birthday ! 

 

 

She is amazing, if you chat with her, which she loves, I don't even realize that she could be my mother ! She goes with the time and is not against anything new, except a smartphone, she says that it is complicated, but she can call and receive calls, even video calls ! She is healthy, has nothing and is a very sympathic person.

My new Smartphone a Samsung A26 has so many security apps, that it is easier to open the safe of Mr. Trump, then to install my Bank app. I spent an hour and tried before I had asked several people here, it always stopped at the same place. Finally I went to my bank and thought they can do it easily, but no, there is something blocked and I have to call the technical Service. The technical service was not available and it was in Antwerp, so I decided to let my bank solve the problem. After all there was a bug in their program and therefore it was their job to find a solution.

 I have to say I had tried out a lot of keys without knowing what it was. So did my phone meow and I couldn't find why,where and how to change the sound. My companions laughed each time when my phone meows. They say that Rosie calls me !  

In the afternoon I went to my bank and the girl there told me that she had spent the whole morning to find out why my mobile didn't want to install my bank app. So when I arrived she was proud that she had found the problem and asked two of her colleagues to join and listen to her explanations. The problem was rather ridiculous, I had blocked some pubs and my bank was taken for a pub. Of course it got stuck. Now they know what they have to do, I was certainly not the last client who had this problem with a new mobile model.  

We celebrated the birthdays of all those who were born in July ! They had hired a female singer and we all hoped that she was better then the man who sang for the June birthdays.

She sang all songs from the 60th and we were all thinking of our youth. She had a lot of success and and we applauded and one even asked if she could sing the song "Michèle" because he had met his late wife during this song. For me it was funny because most of the songs were from Harry Belafonte, Petula Clark, Tom Jones, etc, but translated into French and of course sung in French, and the texts were not exactly the same or completely different. It sounded so strange to me hearing the songs in French.

My bank had called me to ask for an appointment and I went, I was a bit worried that the bank's app would be having problems to be installed, but it wasn't a problem. My phone meowed happily, and the employees laughed. I still don't know, I was too lazy to check why it was meowing. It was probably incoming messages or emails. Anyway, one of the bank employees had a honking sound! So we meowed and honked happily.

After the bank suddenly I felt the need to buy shoes ! I badly needed walking shoes for outside, because inside I wear a sort of baskets. Of course if you are looking for something special you find nothing and that was the case. 

When I came home I met the two girls who have rooms with a balcony and they asked me to join them. There was no activity this afternoon, so we stayed there and chatted. One was younger as I and was diagnosed Alzheimer and couldn't stay alone in her apartment anymore and the other was older had balance problems and had to walk with a walker. She was here to improve her balance and was only supposed to stay for a month. But she enjoyed it so much that she stayed ! She is already 90 but looks much younger, I thought she was in her 70 ! That's nice that we are now more and more who are still fit ! With the youngest one, she proposed to me to go for a week to Tunisia in October because there it will be still sunny and warm. I'll see ! 

 

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIRTHDAYS

Today is my birthday

Since the death of Rick, and the Covid, we didn't celebrate together anymore. My DIL had the long Covid, the grandchild was not so interested in celebrations but more in an envelope containing his birthday gift. Times change. 

Today is my birthday and I have a big cold, I feel lousy and think it is a day like any other when I have a cold. Of course my phone gets birthday wishes and messenger is full of "happy birthdays" 

 

And here is how I am on my birthday, strange is that last year it was exactly the same.  

Anyway I should do the same like some people do, forget birthdays so you are not getting old.