Welcome to the Misadventures of Widowhood blog!

Welcome to my World---Woman, widow, senior citizen seeking to live out my days with a sense of whimsy as I search for inner peace and friendships. Jeez, that sounds like a profile on a dating app and I have zero interest in them, having lost my soul mate of 42 years. Life was good until it wasn't when my husband had a massive stroke and I spent the next 12 1/2 years as his caregiver. This blog has documented the pain and heartache of loss, my dark humor, my sweetest memories and, yes, even my pity parties and finally, moving past it all. And now I’m ready for a new start, in a new location---a continuum care campus in West Michigan, U.S.A. Some people say I have a quirky sense of humor that shows up from time to time in this blog. Others say I make some keen observations about life and growing older. Stick around, read a while. I'm sure we'll have things in common. Your comments are welcome and encouraged. Jean

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Am I Adventurous or what!



The dog decided to get up in the middle of the night and christen the carpeting with three piles of vomit. I wasn’t particularly worried about his health because Levi has always had a touchy stomach. A couple of days of me making him scrambled eggs and rice usually puts him back on track. And his vomit episodes turn me into the queen of getting yellow stomach acids out of light gray Berber carpeting. I could do a commercial for Resolve High Traffic Carpet Cleaning Foam. Day one I follow the directions on the can but I leave the can sitting next to the spot. Day Two I wait for the sun to pass over the spot so I can look for a telltale ring. If I can see one I repeat Day One. This time, because Levi upchucked hours before I found it, I had to add a Day Three and it took an entire roll of paper towel to blot up the rise cycles before I was satisfied the spots were gone. It’s a good thing dogs are so lovable because spot patrol days test my patience as I waffle between being glad Levi didn’t end up in animal ER and wanting to kill him for something he can’t help and finds embarrassing to look at.

On day three of eggs and rice Levi wanted nothing more to do with that sick puppy menu and he demanded his regular fare back again. That dog is a popinjay and there’s no mistaking his message when he’s barking in front of his plastic bin of kibble. As I fixed him a bowl, I apologized because that’s when I realized that I was probably responsible for him being sick in the first place. I had mistakenly toppled his last bowl of kibble with 3-4 inches of doggie tooth paste instead of dog food enhancement. I had recently moved the doggie tooth paste to a new location which obviously was an ill-fated idea that came straight out of a box of rocks. Both are the same shaped tube, both mixed in the same way and Levi likes the peanut butter flavored tooth paste. I thought about punishing myself by eating a couple of inches of Colgate Whitening Toothpaste for people but I was afraid if I upchucked it I’d have to go through Day One through Three of Resolve High Traffic Carpet Cleaning Foam again and who wants to do that twice in the same week? 

Day Three was sunny and beautiful, especially for January in Michigan, so off I went to the pet store to see what they had in new foods for dogs with touchy stomachs. (Ya, I know, putting my glasses on at feeding time might cure some of his issues but don’t spread that around, okay?) I couldn’t believe all the gluten-free, grain-free products at Chow Hound! But they didn’t have any sample bags for sale like they often do and I wasn’t about to buy ten pounds of stuff that Levi may or may not turn his nose up at. So I got him some more food enhancer only this time I got a brand that didn’t come in a toothpaste shaded tube. Now I have to worry about getting his doggie broth mixed up with my Swanson’s chicken broth when I make soup! Same box, different labels.

After leaving the pet store I sat in the car trying to decide where to have lunch. I was parked in the Bermuda Triangle of Restaurants. Across the street was a local chain that I’ve been going to since before Levi and his predecessor were born. It’s a sit-down place that reminds me of Cheers, the old TV sitcom but no one ever knows my name. I like to go there when I’m feeling widow-strong and independent, like I could belt out “I am Woman!” at the top of my lungs. Straight ahead was Starbucks where I knew I could collect an extra ten points for ordering a Gouda and Bacon Breakfast sandwich. Ten points gets me that much closer to earning a free lunch. I like going there when I feel like showing the young’uns that I can do something they can’t---write in cursive. I could take my new Kindle Fire and use the ‘OneNote’ app to take notes and I'd blend in with all the others using devices but my 3 ½" x 4 ½" notebook and pen makes me feel like a sly spy as I make up back stories for my fellow coffee drinkers.

The Guy Land Cafeteria was also close by and that’s where I ended up. I ordered their new Canadian Bacon Club Pita because after eating their tuna melts on rye for the past twenty-five years I was ready to put some adventure in my life. I sat down at a booth, dug out my notebook and pen, ready to record my adventures in Vomit Land and whatever else came into view. That’s when I noticed a woman I’ve seen there many times in the past. She’s around my age, always sits at a table where there’s a wall plug and I’ve never seen her with food or dishes on the table. She charges her phone while working on an adult coloring book. It was two in the afternoon and to the right of me was a set of grandparents with a pre-schooler who was still wearing his Spiderman pajamas. I was jealous! Why do I have to get dressed to go out for lunch? And why can’t I bring Levi to restaurants? He certainly eats neater than that little boy did. He was having fun with gravity while his grandparents ignored his game. When they left the floor needed a treatment with Resolve High Traffic Carpet Cleaning Foam. ©

35 comments:

  1. Poor Levi, poor you. Words escape me, but am I to understand you fed him tooth paste? Good you can admit it, and make sure it doesn't happen again. Jill was sick last week, I have no idea from what. Something outside, I imagine. I'm glad I no longer have carpet. (Far in the back of my mind, I remember owning a spot cleaner for such times - it has to be hidden in the front room closet. We need to clear that out.)

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    1. Yup, that's what I did. The minute I saw those two tubes side by side I remembered that the last time I fed him (before he got sick) that I was thinking something looked off. It was! The color is different. Earlier the day I made the mistake I was doing some cleaning and I decided to put all of Levi's stuff in one place. Obviously that was not a good idea.

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  2. Poor Levi!. A timely reminder to us all about taking due caution with similar-looking labelled products.

    The carpet cleaning product's performance is impressive - I've need the brand 'Resolve'.

    Your decision making re which restaurant is similar to mine. Then I tell myself: but what do you feel like eating/visiting, regardless of considerations of price, vouchers, etc. Sometimes, the response is clear because I do hate wasting my daily calories quota on rubbish food.

    The young do not have a life lived behind them. I, for one, do not want to go through the angsts of youth again. ~ Libby

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    1. If I could go back and live in the same century I lived in before, I would go back. But to be young in this day and age, no thank you!

      Yes, this post should serve as a cautionary tale. A lot of old people mix up their own medications.

      With spot cleaning, I think the secret is patience and blotting with weights over the paper towel.

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  3. Oh that's funny. Poor Levi. Due to my eye issue Rick has taken to calling me Mr. Magoo, because I am not seeing the right things as you just did Mrs. Magoo. :-) But thanks for the tip of Resolve High Traffic Carpet cleaner!

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    1. The cleaning can doesn't tell you to blot up as much stuff up as you can with paper towel before and after the treatment, I think that helps a lot. I've never had a spot that cleaner can't remove.

      At one time this past year I was using eye drops and ear drops at the same time and I was so afraid I'd get them mixed up I took a magic marker and wrote a big EYES on one bottle and EARS on the other. Guess I need to do that with Levi's stuff.

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    2. I've done the same thing with Dixie Rose's treats and hairball treatment. Mixing them up wouldn't make her sick, but the hairball treatment essentially works by helping things pass through her digestive tract, and too much of that.. Well.

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  4. Around here, there is a definite subset of "adults" who go about in public unabashedly in pajamas. It never fails to dismay me. Sigh. Don't succumb.

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    1. I would never, ever do that...on purpose. LOL But you're right, around here there is also a subset of adults who wear their PJs in public. On one hand, they are more covered up than many of the daytime outfits that people wear, so really, it's a debate about the function of clothing isn't it?

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    1. I'm not sure if you're an actual reader here or an advertising spammer but as long as my other readers don't click on your name, I'll take a chance...

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  6. I have had those vomit spots to clean up in the carpet before too, you feel so bad at how embarrassed your dog gets when these little accidents happen.

    Watching people around you in public can be so entertaining and sometimes shocking, and most of the time very blog worthy. It appears you should have plenty of entertaining notes on your tablet now.

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    1. I love people watching so much I sometimes wonder if it crosses over into the criminal activities realm. LOL

      Dog sure do get embarrassed don't they. Levi has a habit of running to a carpeted room when he has to vomit. I just don't get why he does that!

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  7. Know about that puppy barf routine. One reason I have no carpeting but the other day while talking to my brother on the phone, Callie let loose her breakfast on the couch. Since I am heaver of course the gruel ran downhill on to me. Gotta love our babies don't we?
    BTW, I am huge on grain free dog food. My other dog had seizures for 10 years till I switched to grain free. He never had another.

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    1. Wow, that's a great recommendation for trying grain free. I was a little worried about all that protein and where it comes from in the grain free foods.Worth a try for sure. Doctor Google tells me to feed Levi more often because what he vomits is mostly yellow stomach acids in the mornings.

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  8. Oh it's so nice to know you are HUMAN! And that you are brave enough to post your error! Helps the rest of us mortals to know we are not alone!

    Some days I want to be where someone knows me ... most of the time I don't! I'm getting more and more introverted!

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    1. We used to go to place where everyone knew us and they'd have coffee on the table before we'd even get in the door. That was okay unless you were in the mood for something else. I don't always like chatty waitresses which is way I like the cafeteria and you don't have to tip.

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  9. I'm puzzled re 'no tip'. It's a cafeteria and you ordered and sat in a booth, so presumably the food is served to you, ergo tip. Or, do they call your order number and you go to the counter to pick up your tray? ~Libby

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    1. You've got it almost right. We walk down a line with a tray and at the first stop we order whatever we want that has to be cooked, then we walk past cases of mostly desserts and salads. We hand our printout from the cook station to a woman who gets our beverages and takes our money. When our order is done, they call out a number on our receipt and we go pick it up by the cashier. It's not a true cafeteria because our food is cooked to order but there is not service and no one to tip. They have a lot of breakfast foods, soups and sandwiches and great pies. Better than fast food, not as classy as a sit-down place. I've never been to another place like it. It's a local chain that's been around since I was a kid.

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    2. Thank you for the response. Wonderful - sounds like my kind of place. ~ Libby

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  10. Resolve High Traffic Carpet Cleaner also works great on feline barf.
    It takes me 2 days and I leave the can by the spot or I'm liable to walk through the wet spot.

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    1. They should start including our two day process on the can's directions. I put the can by the spot so I don't forget to check it the next day although walking though it does give you a wet sock. LOL

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  11. I've cleaned up my share of dog vomit, and other excretions, and replaced carpeting right before they came out with that great looking vinyl plank flooring. I don't like laminate and it doesn't hold up with liquid accidents, so the vinyl stuff is terrific, and it looks more like hardwood than laminate.

    Your comment about the woman doing her coloring in public got me to thinking about a time about 9 years, when I had a strong yearning to do some coloring. I craved that feeling of crayons on newsprint, but I didn't want to color a kid's book, so I bought a paint-by-number instead for my mindless activity.

    When the adult coloring books came on the market, I chastised myself for not pursuing that line of business. I could be a rich old lady now. Not gonna lose any sleep over that one though.

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    1. I had a similar thing with scrapbooking before they became so popular. I was cutting graphics and words out of magazines and using dollhouse wallpapers to add color and to glam up the pages in photo albums long before you could commonly buy that stuff. When I first saw them on the market I thought the same thing about how I could have been rich if only... The thing is lots of people come up with great ideas like you and I did but most of us either don't see their commercial value or we don't believe in them enough devote the time and effort it takes to bring our ideas to market. Oh well, it's nice to dream though.

      I considered laminate that looks like wood when we built the house but wheelchair tracks showed up EVERYWHERE on a model house we went in. Cleaning would be an hourly thing. I like my carpeting. It's a commercial grade and does not show wear but nothing beats the look of wood. I have vinyl planks in my "allergy free" spare bedroom. I've had people get right down on the floor looking because they couldn't believe it was vinyl.

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  12. Sorry for Levi, but that was sorta funny... Sorry. And I DO NOT miss all the clean ups from our previous dogs. We are enjoying a pet-free home for the first time in 40 years, although I often wish I had a kitty to purr on my lap. Oh well....seasons of life. Maybe one day I'll have another animal companion to clean up after. Ha.

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  13. You and your husband are enjoying being on the go too much to fit a dog into your retirement. Yes, seasons of life fits perfectly here. Every time I to to Chow Hound I long to take one of the rescue cats home. They are a lot easier than a dog if things change and you decide on another pet.

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  14. I'm glad Levi is feeling better. Poor baby. That Resolve does a pretty good job. We don't have a dog, but we have grands. Once the youngest found her sister's stamps and stamp pad. She had a ball stamping my beige carpet in their bedroom. What a mess.

    H and I eat lunch at Panera Bread sometimes. They keep track. We got a free meal the other day. I love that.

    I finally started a new blog. Please stop by.

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    1. The highlight of my day was to find you blogging again! Welcome back.

      We have Panera Breads around here but they aren't located conveniently to me. I get there from time to time and do like the place and have my loyalty card.

      Those naughty little grands, you have. Good thing they're so cute and lovable.

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  15. My poor kitty only reacts badly to the grass she loves to munch on. I buy organic wheat grass for her at the store, and she's always good for a couple of days, but then it's tummy upset time. I've finally decided that it may be the grass itself going bad after a couple of days, so I just take it away from here, and then get fresh. It's much cheaper than anything at the pet store, and beats growing it myself. I know it's not much of a bother to grow cat grass, but I'd have to keep at least two or three pots going, and buying it's just easier.

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    1. When you buy cat grass does it come in a pot with dirt or in a bag like lettuce? I don't recall ever seeing it in the pet store but I have seen pots of grass at the grocery store, in the produce department, and I wondered what it was for.

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    2. The wheat grass in the grocery actually is for those people who like to juice everything in sight. The thought of a wheat grass smoothie doesn't appeal to me at all. In fact, the thought of it makes me gag.

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    3. Oh -- the cat grass comes in a pot, or you can buy seed and grow it. But the seed's no different that the oat or wheat seed you'd get at a farm seed store. They just charge $5 for it at the pet store, instead of fifty cents.

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    4. I learn something new every day. I've have green smoothies at the Smoothie Bar and while they tasted good I couldn't get past the color to ever order again. I did not know people actually used grass in some of their drinks. I have a hard time understanding drinking your fruit when you could just eat it.

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