What keeps you where you are?

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Pinga, some things you have probably already thought about:

I believe that your boys are both on their own now, but if they are anything like my children they probably have stuff stored at your place.
will you continue to provide storage space for books, collections or hobbies once treasured and now in boxes, sports equipment, off-season clothing?
will they each have 'my room' to return to for visits or if for some reason they yoyo back home?
will they feel at home in your new home? or do you want them to?
 
crazyheart said:
Moving June 1st.Sorry guys, it s very upsetting to me because it is a one bedroom as apposed to 3 bedroom mobile

home.Too many changes in short time but I will survive.
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Hi Crazyheart, A time of many transitions for sure! I am wishing for a move that goes as smoothly as possible.

You will be busy getting packed up over the next few weeks and I imagine you will be doing some downsizing of certain things. Not always easy either.

Hoping you will have time to keep checking in with us here. We are thinking of you!
 
Elevators or stair lifts on easiest on straight stairs. In my present split level I have 4 levels of living space and five levels if you count garage. It's a house for "walkies" not "wheelies".

I expect my next abode will be much smaller and I'll be able to grow old in it.
 
This has been a fascinating thread, and a great way to get caught up with everyone I haven't seen in a while during my WC absence.

What keeps us where we are? For the most part wheelchair accessibility. We gutted and reno'd our house a few years ago to make it livable for our son. We also stay because it is close to work, two universities, parks, shopping and so on. I love our house. It has a huge kitchen, and a lovely yard. But it is quite big so I am not sure I'd want to stay as an empty nester. It would feel too big for just two of us I think. That and it would require a lot of money and energy to maintain. Money and energy I think I would want to use differently later in life.

This has been something that has come up recently. We are in the preliminary stages of likely moving Matthew to a group home and our attachment to THIS particular house has been largely dictated by our kids, in particular Matthew's needs. It will be interesting to explore my feelings about this house if Matthew transitions elsewhere.
 
I was sketching up plans for a small elevator in our home at one point. Plus a wheelchair ramp to the front door. Carter was small enough we didn't need them yet, but we understood that he would grow and we would increasingly struggle.

I expect to stay in this home until the end. I have my workshop here. I will not give up my workshop. In all seriousness, with all the work I've put in, there is a strong connection.
 
DaisyJane said:
This has been a fascinating thread, and a great way to get caught up with everyone I haven't seen in a while during my WC absence.

What keeps us where we are? For the most part wheelchair accessibility. We gutted and reno'd our house a few years ago to make it livable for our son. We also stay because it is close to work, two universities, parks, shopping and so on. I love our house. It has a huge kitchen, and a lovely yard. But it is quite big so I am not sure I'd want to stay as an empty nester. It would feel too big for just two of us I think. That and it would require a lot of money and energy to maintain. Money and energy I think I would want to use differently later in life.

This has been something that has come up recently. We are in the preliminary stages of likely moving Matthew to a group home and our attachment to THIS particular house has been largely dictated by our kids, in particular Matthew's needs. It will be interesting to explore my feelings about this house if Matthew transitions elsewhere.
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It's good to hear from you again DaisyJane. I wondered how you were doing. How is Matthew? Are your two other boys out on their own? It's hard to realize that kids who were just kids when we first joined WC are now grown. I can remember posting about Granddaughter when she was 12; now she is 20 and plans to leave home in the fall to move to another city to train as a LPN. And Grandson, who was a baby, is now a teenager. But with Seelergirl in a stable situation its been quite some time since any of them have stayed overnight. Our little bungalow that once seemed over-crowded suits us fine.
 
I just learned that some friends of mine have applied to move into assisted living. A few years ago they gave up their winterized cottage on the lake and moved into a townhouse not far from me. Now it is too much for them. He is in the early stages of alzheimers and she has Parkinsons. Her symptoms are so different from mine you would think it was a different disease. She doesn't have the tremors that bother me (but are somewhat managed with meds) but she is weak, unsteady, and experiences sudden drops in blood pressure. I continue to bowl and dance, while she relies on a walker to get around. She is a few years younger than me and developed Parkinsons a few years after me. I'm feeling sad for them; I know that they like their townhouse and planned to live there through their senior years, but it is not to be. And I think they are wise to put in their application and make the move while they are still able to manage such decisions.
 
Seeler.

Hello. it has been great to read about how everyone is doing. I often lurk, but when you haven't been involved in general conversations for a while it can be difficult to know how to jump back in.

My boys are wonderful. Eldestboy just finished third year university. Youngest is in grade 10 and continues to love theatre. He was in a short film that was featured at TIFF, which was very cool. Matthew is doing well, though was in the ICU twice about a year ago. That was brutal. I returned to school after a year LOA. I truly thought I was done and did not plan on returning to my doctoral work. I had had enough!

If any are interested, I document my caregiving journey at www.extremecaregiving.com.
 
Hi Daisyjane. I remember your avatar that Wolfie gave to you. A rainbow wheelchair,

I believe. I remember the room you made for Mattthew to stimulate him. Do you still have it?

I remember the pain , the strength and the caring that you displayed But stand tall.

Look what you accomplished. Blessings to all of you.
 
Had to mow the lawn for the first time in the season and discovered the hornets trying to built in three locations. That's the time I am questioning my decision to live alone in a house. Dealing with hornets stresses me out. Last year, I sprayed them and got some stuff in my eye, had to go to emerge and had my eye washed out.
 
Mrs.Anteater said:
Had to mow the lawn for the first time in the season and discovered the hornets trying to built in three locations. That's the time I am questioning my decision to live alone in a house. Dealing with hornets stresses me out. Last year, I sprayed them and got some stuff in my eye, had to go to emerge and had my eye washed out.
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Go to the buck store and get some chinese lanterns. Try hanging them (off the eavestroughs or similar) around where you've see the beginnings of nests. The shape of them is to said to remind the wasps of a paper wasp nest and they'll stay away. Worked for me one summer when I seemed to have some difficulties with them.
 
Mrs.Anteater said:
Had to mow the lawn for the first time in the season and discovered the hornets trying to built in three locations. That's the time I am questioning my decision to live alone in a house. Dealing with hornets stresses me out. Last year, I sprayed them and got some stuff in my eye, had to go to emerge and had my eye washed out.
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oh dear! I hope your eye is okay mrs.anteater!!
 
BetteTheRed said:
Go to the buck store and get some chinese lanterns. Try hanging them (off the eavestroughs or similar) around where you've see the beginnings of nests. The shape of them is to said to remind the wasps of a paper wasp nest and they'll stay away. Worked for me one summer when I seemed to have some difficulties with them.
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Unfortunately, those only works for certain types- mine are building right next to it. Maybe it even attracts them? ( " nice neighbourhood, build here!). I read they dislike pepermint, so I might pick up some pepermint oil and spray it around.
My eye was okay, after having it flushed with two bags of saline. Appearently the poison in it was not as bad for eyes as I was afraid it would. It happend a few days before my flight to Germany, so I was glad to get away unharmed.
 
Peppermint oil is a good idea. Lots of critters dislike it - ants, mice, etc. (Sorry my solution wasn't good for you - it was magical for me!)

I also had some burrowing in underneath a wooden threshhold. Waited until after dusk, then sprayed WD40 heavily around all the holes I could see. That seemed to work.
 
BetteTheRed said:
Peppermint oil is a good idea. Lots of critters dislike it - ants, mice, etc. (Sorry my solution wasn't good for you - it was magical for me!)

I also had some burrowing in underneath a wooden threshhold. Waited until after dusk, then sprayed WD40 heavily around all the holes I could see. That seemed to work.
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That sounds like it could work. Not all wasps are territorial. You can get those fake nests at Dolorama now.
I tackeled them this morning at 6 am, when it was just 8 degrees. With the regular poison ( foam works best). Bundled up with hat, mask, long sleeves and gardening gloves. Didn't see any, but soaked the area. Another thing wasps don't like is drafts. I had left the door open on a very windy day when I discovered them first and they had disappeared when I closed it. Hope they have moved on, but will get the peppermint for prevention.
 
A method I stumbled across which has some success but requires some persistence is a pressure washer. It is especially effective if you catch nest development early enough. Cut the nest apart with the pressure water, wasps don't seem to grasp that water can be directed and water is a natural element in their environment. They build under eaves believing that they will be sheltered from the rain. Convince them that they are wrong and they move along.

The more complete the nest the more difficult it is to cut it apart with a pressure washer. It also means you have to get that much closer to that many more angry stingers.

I start off with as gentle a spray as I can manage. In an effort to simulate rain which they don't like but don't treat as a physical enemy they will attack. Once things are good and wet the intensity of the pressure stream increases and eventually it starts tearing the nest apart.

Small starter nests can be completely obliterated and then you need to routinely spray the area to discourage them from coming back. Once you are satisfied they aren't coming back soon get one of the fake nests up. Larger more established nests cannot be destroyed in one effort simply because that puts so many angry little stingers into play it becomes best if nobody is around to take the brunt of their anger. An angry hornet doesn't take time to assess if you are "the" threat. As soon as it determines you pose "a" threat it takes action.

Ground burrowing types are especially difficult to deal with because they have two entrances to their nest. They also feel you coming. Typically they know where you are and how close you are to finding them before you actually find them. And when you find them odds are it is because you are already under attack. I have found a shop vac to be pretty good at eliminating sentries sadly it is very hard on them and I much prefer encouraging these pesky neighoburs to relocate rather than wiping out a whole colony Of course once the first sting has landed I am more tit for tat.

Some wasps are not deterred by a neighbouring nest, or they are and the fake one is no where near convincing enough. No focus groups have researched that question to give a definitive answer.
 
revjohn said:
A method I stumbled across which has some success but requires some persistence is a pressure washer.
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That's usually how I deal with the odd nest that turns up on my fence or deck. Just a hose nozzle on the tightest setting, though, since I don't have pressure washer but same principle. Our eaves are high enough (it's a fairly tall two storey house) that nests up there don't bother us and we just leave those ones alone else I'd have to go the pressure washer route.
 
Told my wasp story to my coworker today. She commented that it was smart to bundle up- she herself usually just knocks the nest down and steps on it! Now she is teasing me with my wasp phobia...
 
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