Working on a project this weekend. Bit of background. My family moved – <bA LOT – when I was growing up. At least 10 different places by the time I graduated high school. The first 20 years the wife and I were married we had 15 addresses and that includes 5 years at the same address in Austin! I hated it. Hated moving around. Hate MOVING! It’s a shitload of work! When we signed the contract to build the house we’re in now back in fall of 96 my stated goal was never to move again. My stated goal was that when I left this place for good it was going to be on a gurney wearing a TOE TAG! We built the house to be as senior friendly as practical. Made sure all the doorways were wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. Put both a shower stall (with a very low sill) and big soaker tub in the master bath. Looking forward to the both of us developing arthritis in our hands and expecting to experience reduced dexterity (sure as shit wouldn’t want to crack the case on a piece of electronic gear even now) I planned from the beginning to replace the spherical doorknobs with more senior friendly handles.
Well, I’m doing it. Getting rid of the doorknobs. Ordered a baker’s dozen from Amazon. Damned good thing I didn’t wait a whole hell of a lot longer. I barely have the dexterity left in my hands to get the screws started and can barely see to do it. But by thunder by supper time tomorrow (Sunday) I’ll have all the knobs replaced with lever handles. Only thing I can think of to do until/unless it becomes necessary to put in ramps to replace the (minimal) front and back steps with ramps. What do you guys think?
You’re not feeding local stray cats, are you?
My neighbor put in a ramp for his daughter. Within a month she tripped over a stray she’d been feeding and broke her leg.
Add railings.
Nope. No stray cats. Finally convinced the wife not to do that. Now that we have outlived our last pet (wife’s cat) and see getting another which would most likely outlive the both of us to be irresponsible, we don’t have the wherewithal to do it even if she WAS tempted. But to this day (2+ years after he crawled under the couch and expired) sometimes I SWEAR I hear that last cat uttering a single meow at times. Think that bastard is haunting me. You’re the cat man. You ever heard of a cat haunting some body?
im known as the cat whisper (actual cats, ) at the humane shelter,. over 150 cats in 9 months ,at least 75% feral,. an only one i could not tame/play/interact with.. (he had a brain clot that drove him crazy.. 🙁 )
im down to 1 companion kitten , from the Zoo when wife was alive (close to 30 animals..)
so , yes i have heard other cats call from other room, with kitten on my lap…
Don’t get me wrong, Rob. He wasn’t an unpleasant critter. Not much for getting into/onto stuff and he even would deign to let me pet him (okay, he’d jump into my lap and freaking well DEMAND I do it) which wasn’t all bad seeing as how he was a purebred bengal. I just figured after pulling his carcass out from under the couch I was shed of him. You know? I knew cats had 9 lives but who knew they could come back to haunt you?
Gotta admit, though, as my health slowly deteriorates, while the wife is off being a schoolbus driver and gone all day Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’m sometimes tempted to get me a little dog for a companion. Only thing is, if I make it to Thanksgiving 28 I’ll have outlived BOTH my folks. If I make it to New Year’s 32 I’ll have outlived my grandparents as well. 32 is only 11 years away now and a pup or a kitten is pretty much a sure thing for significantly more than 11 years. I would not wish to burden my kids with my companion critter. Hope you see where I’m coming from. Trying to be responsible here.
Funny thing. The wife just admitted she wants a kitten. I told her to go for it. She’s only 68 and her Dad made it to 86. That would appear to give her a good shot at another 18 years. Plenty of time for most cats. Me? I doubt I’ll get much past my birthday in 24. To do that I’ll have to outlive my Mother. Course she went with the big C so maybe I have it in me for a few more years. Not totally sure I WANT to hang around. You know?
We feel the same way, and we’ve done the same things, mainly. My wife says she won’t leave this house except in a pine box. (And we’re about 40 miles north of Waco.)
Okay, Rob, I sent you yet another new password via email.
Can you log in with this one? (Log in as robnot)
That was me, logging in as Rob to be sure the new password worked.
ok worked this time
Welcome back.
I figured that was what was happening but still it was decidedly odd watching “Rob” talking to himself. LOL
Working on a project this weekend. Bit of background. My family moved – <bA LOT – when I was growing up. At least 10 different places by the time I graduated high school. The first 20 years the wife and I were married we had 15 addresses and that includes 5 years at the same address in Austin! I hated it. Hated moving around. Hate MOVING! It’s a shitload of work! When we signed the contract to build the house we’re in now back in fall of 96 my stated goal was never to move again. My stated goal was that when I left this place for good it was going to be on a gurney wearing a TOE TAG! We built the house to be as senior friendly as practical. Made sure all the doorways were wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. Put both a shower stall (with a very low sill) and big soaker tub in the master bath. Looking forward to the both of us developing arthritis in our hands and expecting to experience reduced dexterity (sure as shit wouldn’t want to crack the case on a piece of electronic gear even now) I planned from the beginning to replace the spherical doorknobs with more senior friendly handles.
Well, I’m doing it. Getting rid of the doorknobs. Ordered a baker’s dozen from Amazon. Damned good thing I didn’t wait a whole hell of a lot longer. I barely have the dexterity left in my hands to get the screws started and can barely see to do it. But by thunder by supper time tomorrow (Sunday) I’ll have all the knobs replaced with lever handles. Only thing I can think of to do until/unless it becomes necessary to put in ramps to replace the (minimal) front and back steps with ramps. What do you guys think?
You’re not feeding local stray cats, are you?
My neighbor put in a ramp for his daughter. Within a month she tripped over a stray she’d been feeding and broke her leg.
Add railings.
Nope. No stray cats. Finally convinced the wife not to do that. Now that we have outlived our last pet (wife’s cat) and see getting another which would most likely outlive the both of us to be irresponsible, we don’t have the wherewithal to do it even if she WAS tempted. But to this day (2+ years after he crawled under the couch and expired) sometimes I SWEAR I hear that last cat uttering a single meow at times. Think that bastard is haunting me. You’re the cat man. You ever heard of a cat haunting some body?
im known as the cat whisper (actual cats, ) at the humane shelter,. over 150 cats in 9 months ,at least 75% feral,. an only one i could not tame/play/interact with.. (he had a brain clot that drove him crazy.. 🙁 )
im down to 1 companion kitten , from the Zoo when wife was alive (close to 30 animals..)
so , yes i have heard other cats call from other room, with kitten on my lap…
Don’t get me wrong, Rob. He wasn’t an unpleasant critter. Not much for getting into/onto stuff and he even would deign to let me pet him (okay, he’d jump into my lap and freaking well DEMAND I do it) which wasn’t all bad seeing as how he was a purebred bengal. I just figured after pulling his carcass out from under the couch I was shed of him. You know? I knew cats had 9 lives but who knew they could come back to haunt you?
Gotta admit, though, as my health slowly deteriorates, while the wife is off being a schoolbus driver and gone all day Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’m sometimes tempted to get me a little dog for a companion. Only thing is, if I make it to Thanksgiving 28 I’ll have outlived BOTH my folks. If I make it to New Year’s 32 I’ll have outlived my grandparents as well. 32 is only 11 years away now and a pup or a kitten is pretty much a sure thing for significantly more than 11 years. I would not wish to burden my kids with my companion critter. Hope you see where I’m coming from. Trying to be responsible here.
Funny thing. The wife just admitted she wants a kitten. I told her to go for it. She’s only 68 and her Dad made it to 86. That would appear to give her a good shot at another 18 years. Plenty of time for most cats. Me? I doubt I’ll get much past my birthday in 24. To do that I’ll have to outlive my Mother. Course she went with the big C so maybe I have it in me for a few more years. Not totally sure I WANT to hang around. You know?
We feel the same way, and we’ve done the same things, mainly. My wife says she won’t leave this house except in a pine box. (And we’re about 40 miles north of Waco.)