I wish I could say that March is going better than last month. It does not seem to be in the cards for me right now. I have been a loony, dizzy old broad for three days. Finances are a bit better than last month which is a good thing.

My head feels like it is full cotton, I am dizzy when walking and have to steady myself with furniture and my cane. I WILL not fall again, even though the fireman who show up to help are gorgeous young men.

I woke up at 6 AM and walked Riley very slowly and actually did everything without falling down = a major accomplishment, (even picked up the poop).

I went back to bed and slept until a neighbor called me at 8. I honestly cannot say what she said to me, I think it was a well check call. - I usually check in with her because she has had some major heart attacks since moving here almost 7 years ago. We were some of the first to inhabit this complex.

I am up mow drinking coffee and Riley actually jumped up on the recliner and is sleeping. Yesterday, he could not do that and was acting odd, so my neighbor Craig is taking us to the vet this AM. The office is just up the street from us, and I made an appointment yesterday. (Remember I got rid of my car since it needed major work that I could not afford.)

Both Riely and I feel better this AM if not totally normal. Once I know Riley is OK, I will feel much, much better.  

My nurse friend has told me to drink lots of water when I feel this way. So, I am on my second glass along with coffee. I know coffee is a diuretic, but I crave that caffeine. I have no Cokes so coffee it is. AND WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE!

I will be celebrating March 1 next week, in hope that it is a better month for me. I am so glad that February is almost over - and that it was a short month. I have had money issues thanks to Medicare and Social Security this month and I have had a type of health issue this month because of all the falls and hits to to head I have had in my recent past.

The last fall was weeks ago, and I fell backwards and landed full body and head on my hard concrete floor. My nurse friend believes I had a concussion, even though I did not pass out. I did not go to the doctor, but I will go in March for a complete checkup. because I have been so dizzy, I have difficulty walking Riley in the AM. I walk so slowly, like I am 100 years old, to keep my steps short.  I have a very long leash so he can wander while I do not move much.

I also have been sleeping long nights and even some naps, since I have always gone to bed when I needed mending. I think it actually helped, because I have slept so much. My head still feels like it is full of cotton on top - might be sinuses but could be something else. Anyway, February will be gone tomorrow, and March will arrive. AND I will be taking care of myself and my life, too. Medicare is back on track and thankfully my Social Security is back within 100 dollars a month of what it was last year. They paid $500 less in February because they had made an error and that only takes care of my rent and some utilities. 

So even though circumstances took another potshot at me, I am making it through it. I gave away my car because it was going to cost too much to fix it, and keep it legal with $300 tags, etc. And they had tagged it for towing the day I decided to get rid of it. Also, with my dizzy brain I would not be driving it. I have two younger friends here who will drive me to the grocery and doctor so I will be OK. But i figured it up - I have owned a car for 53 years and have been driving myself for more than that. That is a really big change in life for an old woman. 

I will be sitting in my apartment waiting for March to come. Maybe the air conditioner will be fixed, since it can get warm then, and maybe I will adjust to a new lower cost of living. But as I look back and remember where I have been, what I have done, and who I have met, I realize my life has been full. BUT I am not gone yet, and even though I have not been skydiving, I do not think I will try that. There has to be something out there to try before I leave this life. I will be looking and if you can think of something other than jumping off a cliff or out of an airplane, send me suggestions. 

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February has not been a good month for me, thus far. Finances with SS and Medicare reduced my income by $500 because they made a mistake and I had to pay for it right now. Payment will be higher next month than it is now but will also be $100 less than previous months from now on. Whew! I am going to have to look into a reduced rate for my apartment. I cannot move so I will have to find a way, even if it is Section 8. 

My brother graciously loaned me a couple of hundred dollars to help me pay late fees from auto-payments that came through my bank making my balance plummet. Checks payments were jumping everywhere. This caused me to receive returned payment fees for total of $70. That stress almost wiped me out mentally. I always pay my bills first and to have this happen almost knocked me down to stay.

Everything is up to date now. I have altered my budget so I can survive, and I WILL SURVIVE! However, I have been sleeping too much (it helps me to escape all of this stress) and today I actually am awake and thinking again.

I have a doctor's appointment next month. I can make it until then to see what she thinks of this. Some have suggested a TIA. I do have high blood pressure that I treat with meds. I also take diabetic meds (family inherited diabetes.)

I had to get rid of my car since I could not drive it any longer with my health situation. That was hard, since I have had a car for 55 years. It was my independence. It needed some kind of repair and also needed a Florida license plate ($300). Florida has levied a high charge for people coming from other states to live here. I just could not afford to do it. The morning that the apartment put a towing notice on it for not having an up-to-date tag, I just gave it away to my neighbor's son to repair. He got it running and gave it to his mother to use. She likes it because she has more room inside than her little SUV for her infant grandchild in a carrier and her 8-year-old granddaughter.

Hopefully this is much ado about nothing...I intend to keep going on for a while longer. I will take my meds and continue to enjoy life as it is presented to me.

I hate to share this with you. But since I do not know right now what will happen in the future, I wanted to let you know what is going on. Hopefully I will be around a while longer = just not as feisty and independent as usual.

I have been visited by my wonderful neighbors all day long. Some just checked it with me to make sure I was OK after the past few days, and others offered to help me get apartment patio in order.  I have 30 days, but two sisters and another neighbor who live here came by and they are ready to help now.

The bleak day and night of yesterday warmed into a nice day with all the nice neighbors who came by to check on me and offer help. I might be able to rest tonight and not panic all night. All of my visitors offered help and told me not to worry that they would help. 

I am so grateful to them for everything they offered. And tomorrow, I will start on this project. With my wonderful neighbors supporting me, I will be able to get it done and stop worrying about it.

I have calmed down over the last few horrible days and am moving forward to remedy the problems the millionaires think I have with my apartment and patio. I have 30 days to "clean" it up. The apartment just needs vacuuming of and mopping of linoleum, floors. Roomba has both cleaners and so do I. I have had a carpet Rooma for years, and for Christmas I splurged and bought myself the mopping one.

As I said before a male neighbor helped me with my umbrella and I can just throw out or give away my empty flowerpots and haul everything but a chair and one or two plant stands to the garbage outside. Since I have 30 days, I can do one thing each day until it is done. I am sad to say, that the Peggy of old who could do it all in one day, has aged tremendously and cannot do miraculous stuff anymore.

I gave my car keys and title to my neighbor to give to his son for the car. The maintenance man who tagged my car and threatened me, conferred with him and promised not to tow it so he could have time to get it out of the lot. Men!!! I will definitely treat that maintenance man differently from now on. I smile and am friendly to all - now all but one or maybe two, since the ass't manager is not being very nice to me either. I swear I am not imagining this = others feel the same way.

I have decided to keep a very low profile in my apartment for a few days. My friends here can come visit me. One of my younger neighbors came by last night and offered to drive me wherever I needed to go. I told her I would be paying her $10 for each trip. She is younger by almost 15 years and has not worked at good paying jobs with good benefits. So even though she does not want to accept money from me, I will pay her for time and gas - just like those neighbors of long ago did for me.

I have to admit life without a car is something I have not experienced in over 50 years. It is hard to admit that you are old, too old to take care of all your needs. It will take some time to get used to it.

The last few days have been quite stressful. We had reps of the millionaire owners show up and go to each apartment. Of course, there was no warning. I had just started to put my summer clothes away and my winter clothes out (only one closet-not enough room for both), and they decided to visit my apartment to inspect it. Then they went to the patio where winter has set in and several of my plants were dead. Needless to say, I received a note from the manager (from hell who hates me), telling me I had until the end of the month to clean up. Not a problem.

I know she enjoys the thought that she can kick me out. BUT my battle is mostly won by putting the summer clothes bag in the upper shelf of the closet (in the back) and hanging up and putting in drawers the winter stuff. 

I also threw all the dead plants out (would have done that when spring came) and plan on clearing out several stands and cutting back on my plants from now on. I am 75 now and even though I have all the time in the world, now, I do not have all the energy.

I would like to leave here (I have been here almost 7 years = a record for me) but there is not really any place I can go, unless I go to Alabama. Might look into that since my "kin" are from northern Alabama. One of my friends has an aunt in a small town north of here in Alabama. She rents a small house for half of what I pay in rent. My friend says I would not like it since it is a small town, with a drugstore, a Walmart, and a couple of grocery stores. What's not to like? And I order my clothes now off a couple of sites I have found so that is all I need. And a grocery store is a grocery store. Walmart has everything anyway. 

I can deal with the above and I probably will pay less rent. I have just a few neighbors here I talk to, and since the pandemic I rarely seen them = just the one who drives me to appointments.

It is something to consider, since my rent here goes up more than my SS. And I could clean house one last time and move just essentials. Sell everything else like I have done before. One last hurrah?

We occasionally have people come by our complex to see it, model after it, etc. It is not a big deal and usually my apartment is presentable, in case of visitors. But yesterday:

I was in the process of taking all my summer/fall clothes out of the closet, so I would have room for all the winter clothes. I only have the one large closet and one small on in the kitchen for coats. Hence, all my clothes do not fit.

I had stored all of my winter clothes in large garbage bags - they are more cumbersome that the summer cottons, so it takes two bags. I also had a bag out to put the summer clothes in.

I was in the process of trying to do this with my recent concussion which limited bending over, too much. AND YESTERDAY THE OWNERS OF THE MY APARTMENT (AND THE OTHERS ON FIRST AND SECOND FLOORS, TOO) MADE A VISIT TO CHECK EVERYTHING OUT. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALMOST 7 YEARS IT WAS A MESS.

I am hoping that they do not evict me. They are being really nice to a friend of mine who had her storage units destroyed and she had to move everything into her apartment to check and repack. This fills her whole apartment = there are just paths to get around. One of the owners assured her that they would help her sort it out. However, they were totally displeased with me and my patio, and that is why I think they might evict me. 

I got the clothes sorted and will get the bags stored in the top of the closet tomorrow. I did not sleep that well last night from worry - I hope needless worry. Today, since I did not sleep well, I have not tackled this job, but tomorrow, it will be accomplished. If management comes by on Monday, it will be perfect, you can rest assured. I have to do it since there is nowhere else, I can afford to move.

If is funny that other friends whose apartments are a wreck got by. One has stuff stored on one side of her guest bedroom with a bed for her grandchild on the other. But it looked neat. Hopefully my next post will be more positive, and everything will be resolved.
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As you know I have a darling Yorkie, 12 years old, and a very good buddy. Well, lately, it has been really cold, so I have let the black stray cat, Sebastian, who has lived on my patio for about two years, come in the apartment. After a few days of unusually cold weather, he seems to have made it his home.

Persephone, the gray female, has found a home with one of the other residents who lives in the other wing of the complex. She comes by to visit when he lets her out, but she is now out of the cold and has a home. For that reason, I am letting Sebastian stay inside. He has been declawed by someone and neutered as well (has his ear clipped - a sign). 

He goes out with Riley and me for a walk every morning. He then comes back in to sleep for a while. I think he was an inside cat who somehow got kicked out of a house. He has wonderful "manners" and goes out with us and takes care of business. He also goes out throughout the day and then comes back and asks to come in.

So, now I have two pets. I put up a gate to keep Sebastain out of the bedroom at night. (Not enough room on my bed) He sleeps wherever he wants. When I got up this morning to go out with Riley, he was on the dining room table. A friend told me that is usual behavior for a cat.  Riley was a bit upset because he was on Riley's pillow asleep on the couch just now. But Riley came over to his spot with me on the recliner. Sebastian is not allowed to do that.

Enough petty foolishness. Just wanted to let my friends know that now I am a cat person, too. 

I know I am a week late, and I wish I had an excuse for not posting, but I do not have a good one, so I will just say I am sorry.  2022 has gotten off to a shaky start from the falls previous to this month that kept me dizzy for a while. I am much better now. I have been conscious of what I am doing and what is going on all along. but today I feel more with it.

I have been feeding two stray cats for quite a while - they sleep on my covered patio. But last month a slightly retarded man who moved in here recently, took Persephone, the gray cat I have had for 6 years I found homes for her two litters before I was able to get her spayed by the Humane Shelter. She thinks she belongs to me, but if he can give her a home (inside) then I will just let it be.

However, her best buddy, Sebastian, a beautiful black Persian like cat. with emerald, green eyes misses, her. They were great buddies. Since she has been gone, he has been sleeping on the patio and today, he asked to come in and I said yes.

If she does not come back, I will let him be my inside cat. Riley and I will both have to adjust, but Riley likes him. Sebastian is asleep on the couch right now, but I plan on washing his bed I have for him and bringing it inside, 

I have never actually had a cat for a pet so it will be a learning experience. I will let Sebastian determine when he goes out and comes in for a while. He might not want to live here all the time, since I know there is a bunch of cats on the other side of the adjoining building in this complex. He has his buddies. 

It appears that 2022 is going to be a different kind of year...

 eitherAnd my house is not decorated = at all. I do not have my tree up or anything done. No baking for gifts, nothing. 

I usually put my tree up on my birthday, but I have to admit that last fall has taken the zing out of my life. I cannot make myself even decorate, much less make anything.

I have not even gotten the cards out to send. But in the last few years I have not received that many. With social media at such a high, most people send wishes that way. That saves a lot of stamp money.

I did put a wreath on my door and hung up a felt tree on my pot rack. But I think that will be all for this year.

I do not feel much like cooking this year, so if I cannot find what I want in the grocery, I will try to find a frozen turkey dinner like I had Thanksgiving. Then I will add the Christmas fixings. Maybe....

My main goal is to straighten my apartment up = while out of sorts I let things slide. But I will do it for me, since the pandemic has kind of nixed visiting neighbors. 

I hope my mood does not worry you, my friends. I will be OK, I hope that will happen in a few weeks, as my strength comes back. and I see my doctor about this last fall. Her visit is coming up this month.

So, I will be "clearing up" the clutter little by little so the New Year will come in without any hassle - keep your fingers crossed.

AND I HOPE ALL OF YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!