March 18, 2009
Dear Everyone:
“Jeannie” is sick, poor thing.
She came down with the
flu last Wednesday, but of course she went
to work anyway because “Only you know if you’re sick
enough to stay home”, our Mother’s favorite guilt-trip when we were
kids. When I called her on
Friday, she sounded like she was hacking up a lung.
So I went up on Saturday to check up on her.
She was very sick.
The cats were very happy because all she had the strength to do was sit
on the sofa, or lie in bed and pet them when they came up to her.
We made a list of things she needed at the store and I went
shopping.
Cold and flu medications, soup, bottled water,
vitamin-water enriched with extra Vitamin C and a few other things.
It just so happened that I had put my little “hand truck”
(luggage rack, really) in the trunk of my car Friday night as I had the
intention of taking some items to the
hospice store as donations.
So I put the case of bottled water on the bottom of the truck,
piled more groceries on top and rolled them up to “Jeannie’s” front
door.
I made her a cup of hot water with flu symptom
relief stuff. She declared
that it tasted really awful, but admitted by the time she finished the
cup that she was actually feeling better.
(I spoke with her this evening and she sounds better, but a Get
Well card would not be out of order.)
When I left “Jeannie’s” place, I went to the
hospice store. Loaded my
donations on the little hand truck and rolled them into the store.
I bought this little truck about five or six years
ago, when I was doing a lot of training and needed a way to transport
all the training materials to and from classrooms.
I found it in my favorite Big Warehouse Office Supply Store.
It cost about $20 back then.
It folds down flat, except for the wheels, so it can fit in an
office closet, or behind a desk.
When you need to use it, you unfold and use the bungee cords to
strap a box, or whatever, into place.
I started thinking about when I move into the
condo. Right now, it’s only
a few steps from my carport to the back door of the
townhouse.
But the carport at the condo will be a bit further away.
Having another little hand truck would make bringing in the
groceries a lot easier.
So I made another trip to my favorite Big Warehouse
Office Supply Store. Sure
enough, I found a much-improved version of the little hand truck.
At a higher price, of course.
The wheels now swivel flat, so it’s only 2.5” thick when it’s
folded down. And the handle
extends now, where it used to fold over.
Capable of holding up to 100 pounds, not that I’d need to move a
hundred pounds of groceries at a time.
It will also come in handy when it comes time to start moving
things to the condo.
Speaking of which, I’m taking Friday as a vacation
day so I can be there when the carpet installers show up.
They should arrive “between 10:00 in the morning and 1:00 in the
afternoon” and, whenever they arrive “will be finished by 5:00 PM.”
“Jeannie’s” friend, the plumber, who also caught the flu a while
ago, thinks he can install two new “comfort height” toilets on Saturday.
Then it will be time to start moving.
The carpet installers could have come earlier this
week, but I’m booked with training, either giving or receiving, through
tomorrow. I have three
sessions next week, on Tuesday and Thursday.
So it will probably be the week after next that I’ll be able to
take some time off and move.
I still need to line up a
moving company.
But it won’t be long now.
Love, as always,
Pete
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