Here’s your Sunday catch up blog post. It’s going to be all over the place, topic-wise, because I’ve been all over the place recently.

Several Trips to Cindy’s Recently

I’m back to walking down to Cindy’s daily again, now that she is feeling up to walking some again. She has been seriously under the weather for more than a month. And for part of that span of time, I was fighting a bad cold, so I steered clear then because I was afraid I was contagious.

Now that we’re both back on an even keel, we’ve been walking together. Much less than before, and not yet with the dogs. We’re just working on getting her leg strength back at the moment.

We started the new routine yesterday

We walked from her place up to Calle San Isidro and back, which has quite a slope to it. She stopped a few times to rest.

I expected something similar this morning, but she surprised me. She felt comfortable walking at least twice that far, overall, and her stride was more stable and routine.  Hallelujah! She looks and feels better.

In fact, she drove us to CoopeVictoria Yesterday

…to have lunch and get a few groceries, which was her first foray (except for doctor visits) in more than a month.  She feels like a bird freed from a cage.  She hated being stuck at home and feeling so vulnerable and reliant on friends to hep her.

She has a few more tests coming up this week, one of them in Heredia for an MRI. I’ll be walking with her every day except Wednesday because she leaves for Heredia very early that day.

In Other News

I think I already reported that I have a UTI.  I was given a two-dose prescription to administer on Thursday and tonight.

The instructions were to pee every possible drop out of my bladder in the evening just before going to bed and then mix the medical crystals in a six-ounce glass of water and drink it down, then go to sleep and not pee again — no matter what — until four to six hours later.

Sounded easy enough, for sure. Drink something down, fall asleep until at least 10:30 (longer if possible), and then pee if necessary.

Well!!!

At about 10:10, I awoke with a feeling of intense urinary urgency.  Looked at my watch and scowled, “Oh, wow!  I have to wait twenty more minutes to pee! OK, OK, don’t panic. You can do this!”

Closed my eyes, tried to fall back to sleep, but… no!  The urgency continued to mount, minute by minute!

The last four minutes were touch and go!  But I made it the entire four hours, with not a second to spare.

I have to repeat the process tonight

…so I’m going to stop drinking liquids at 2 p.m. and hope to heck I can have an easier time of it this time.  And I gotta say, this UTI medication has made a noticeable difference in my mental clarity and internal wellbeing. I feel super great now. Getting rid of this chronic UTI feels like a godsend. (Remember, several months ago the doctor said it wasn’t necessary to treat it unless it started unduly messing with me.)

Got a text from Farmacia Central Saying my Warfarin is In

…so I can pick that up on Wednesday when I ride the bus back into Grecia. I have more than enough here until then.

I’m Already 90% packed for My Move on December 1st

The only things not already boxed up are the fans, lamps, cat trees, food, daily meds, bathroom necessities and clothes. The clothes can go into my suitcases, as can the small fan and bathroom stuff.

I need to buy plates and two pillows in Grecia.  I keep thinking of things that a household needs that I didn’t bring down with me from the U.S.  Haven’t had to make a list since moving because I always rented furnished apartments before this.  So, now I’m trying to think of the things I use that I don’t yet own here.  So far, that’s just dinner plates and pillows. I bought a coffee pot and will buy a toaster or toaster oven. I may need to buy plastic trash bins.  And maybe an inversion skillet and pot so I can cook meats and pasta on the new-fangled stove-plate that’s in the new place. I may need to buy a small kitchen table and chairs. I’ve reached out to the new landlord to find out what will be included so I don’t duplicate anything.

A dear friend sent me $200

…to get whatever I decide I need to furnish the new place. What a sweetheart. Thank you, Tracey!

I’m Cleaning the Apartment as I Go Along

I’ve washed the rugs and tucked them away so they’ll be pristine when I leave. I will wash all of the towels and dish cloths that are in here (many of which I have never used) a couple days before I go so that the only thing that will need washing will be the bedsheets and spread.

I want to leave this place looking showroom quality House Beautiful pristine. It won’t be hard to do because I’ve taken good care of it all along during the ten months I’ve been here.

This is a very nice apartment. The new one isn’t as nice, but it’s perfectly adequate, and it’s bigger for less money. It’s more secure (gated and fenced, with security cameras) with a separate area for bathroom/shower and washer/dryer, a large walk-in pantry, and a big, open room with a kitchen at the far end and large space for the bed and a table and chairs at the front end near the windows and door. It also has a loveseat in it that can be opened into a bed.

Outside, there is a small courtyard with a barbecue grill, a large gazebo with a massive picnic table/benches underneath it, and the place is filled with fruit trees and ornamental bushes. I’ll take pictures after I get moved in and set up so you can see it.

It’s Within Easy Walking Distance to Cindy’s and San Isidro

The new place is 300 meters south of where I am now and about 300 meters north of the Catholic Church in central San Isidro, so getting down there will be a cinch, a five minute walk, maximum.  Probably two minutes to Cindy’s.  It’s super close to the nearest bus stop, too… about 20 steps from the front of the courtyard.

I’m eager to be there. The pile of boxes in my apartment attests to that sentiment already!

My Side is Completely Fine Again

My UTI very likely contributed to the earlier ow-ee situation.

When I Get My Next INR/Renal Function Test in November

… I will probably fast so I can get my blood sugar level checked again, too.  It was 100 last time. I want it to stay there or to go lower. Diabetes runs in my family on my paternal side so I want to keep an eye on that.  100 (after an eight hour fast) is fine. Anything higher can signify something more problematic.

On Tuesday I Ride with Kathy Neckar

… to attend the DEMOCRATS ABROAD CELEBRATION at Los Jardines Restaurant in Grecia.  Very much looking forward to that and to getting this box of books on their way to Blooms. I’ve had them for months and just forgot to take them the last time I attended Blooms. There are a lot of great titles in that box.

That’s about all the news that’s fit to print for this time.