The Toilet Tale!

I have 4 of these in my house.  

Yes, 4 toilets.  

Three full baths and one half bath.  

I believe I have an embarrassing abundance of toilets. 

In my next abode, one toilet, one bathroom will be enough - well ... let me amend that statement.  After living for 3 days with just one toilet, one full bathroom and a powder room will be enough.  But I digress!

This little toilet above is sitting in my eat-in kitchen.  Didn't you always want an eat-in, poop-in kitchen??

This little toilet should be in my half bathroom on the first floor - but because we are replacing the bathroom floor, the toilet had to be removed from the plumbing and put somewhere else while the work was being done.  It now sits where all my guests can see it!

This second little toilet is sitting in my bathroom tub.  I guess that is an improvement over the kitchen because I could always do my business on it and at least it wouldn't leak out onto the floor!

The third little toilet in the second full bathroom looks just like this one.  I won't bore you with that picture.

So for anyone who is counting, we have exactly one functioning toilet and it is located in the basement (my third full bathroom is there.)

I guess this is an improvement over going outside to an outhouse to do the deed, but our bedroom is located on the top floor and our one functioning toilet is located 2 floors down.   My husband and I are both 66 and cannot be too far from the bathroom for those random visits in the middle of the night.  You old fogies out there get my drift, I am sure.

So my dear husband and I are sleeping on our pull out couch that is only one floor removed from the one functioning toilet!  Our bladders are happier about this, but our backs are less than thrilled.

All of this inconvenience is because my 28 year old tile floor was broken and ugly and it needed to go!!!  So without thinking about the ramifications of doing 3 bathrooms all at once, we scheduled the work.  The picture above shows the tile - minus the grout.  Tomorrow, they say they will finish the job.

I can't even just close the bathroom doors and pretend everything is normal ... because the bathroom doors have been removed and are propped up in my dust filled third floor.  (Did I tell you just how dusty ceramic tile instillation can be? I don't think my allergies will let me sleep up there until I do a complete cleaning.)  My back may be happier in my own bed, but my sinuses will create a major conflict of enormous proportions if I try to sleep upstairs right now.

My bladder, my back, my sinuses ... all so that I can have new bathroom floors.

I suffer so!

:-)

Write 30 Interesting Facts About Yourself

I made another visit to Paula's Place and she is in Day 6 of a blog fest - each day she covers a different topic and each one is entirely different.  Today's assignment was to write 30 interesting facts about yourself.

I am game!  Here goes ...

1. When I was younger I wanted to be an actress.  
2. I had the female lead in my high school play.
3. I didn't know what I wanted to do after college - so I chose teaching. 
4. I was a fair teacher of children by my standards. Great teachers are not made from people who wanted to be actresses.
5. If I had the chance in another life to choose a profession, I would teach college level students or be an actress (or a Cow Boy or an Indian Chief.)
6. I always wanted to be a mother.  Thank God I got to do that.
7. I have a talent for leadership - I always wound up being in charge.
8. I hate being in charge.
9. I have an undeveloped talent for Art - I hope God isn't too unhappy that I ignored that gift.
10. My favorite TV show is Dancing With the Stars.
11. I like a clean and orderly house.
12. I hate to clean.
13. I never had the chance to live on my own. Left my parents' house to get married.
14. I have no tolerance for ditherers.  Make a decision, move forward.  If it is wrong,  make another decision.  It is not rocket-science!
15. I am bad at forgiveness and I never forget.  Some hurts cut too deep.
16. Crap, this is becoming less fun and more like work!!  Just like most everything I have done in my life!
17. I am an evening snacker.  I sleep better with a small snack right before bed.
18. I have a weakness for animals, children and the elderly. 
19. I have been married once.  Once will be enough.
20. I love being alone. I don't get to do that very often.
21. I love the beach.
22. I love the mountains.
23. I love hiking - don't get to do that any more - as my hiking buddy (husband) can't see very well.
24. I love a great big thundery, windy, rain storm.
25. I am wild about snow storms - 2 feet or more is heaven. 
26. My favorite season is winter.
27. I had cataracts in both eyes repaired in my early 50s - early onset cataracts inherited from my father.  To this day I still marvel at the clarity of my repaired vision.  I remember how poor it was before.  I truly appreciate the gift of sight.
28. I hate my neck and chin area.  If I was ever inclined to have something fixed, that would be it.
29. There is nothing I hate more than throwing up! Oh, I abhor snakes.  I guess snakes are worse than throwing up.
30. I love silence!

Done!  Don't know how many of these were "interesting" but at least I got to 30 (I had doubts!).

In 10 years ...

I recently discovered a blog called Paula's Place.  I enjoy following her posts as her current life  somewhat mirrors some of my past and current experiences.  She is a caregiver for her husband who is now in hospice.  I encourage you to visit Paula's blog and say Retire Knitter sent you!! :-)

She offers readers a chance to share thoughts about how you see yourself 10 years into the future.  Other participants can be found at the above blog link.

Myself ... in 10 years

Gosh!  At first I didn't want to do this.

I thought,

"Ten years in the future??  I don't know if that is a good idea.

  Ten years into the past I would never have imagined I was doing what I am today.

  My life looks nothing like I planned.  The future is so uncertain.

  Why set myself up for disappointment, wishing for things to be

 how your rose-colored glasses imagine when life has other plans for you?"

Then my old "goal-centered-self" shook a finger at my "curmudgeon-self" and thought,

"You silly person, sure life is uncertain,

 but you set up this blog thinking about how you wanted to live the next 20 years of your life.

 Maybe you should re-focus, maybe you should look at those goals again,

 maybe, just maybe, 

you can pick goals that you are certain you can attain - that are in your control."

So here I go ...

10 years from now ....

Stuff I have some control over.

• I will be 76! *gulp* (But on the bright side - I plan to be alive!)
• I will look in the mirror and see only the marks on my face of a wonderful life.  (If I can't do that, I won't look in the mirror.)
• I will be happy. (No one controls this but me.)
• I will be healthy. (I am the main contributor to this.)
• I will be active. (I will be active, I will be active, I will be active, I will be active ...)
• I will be financially independent. (Fingers crossed)
• I will look at my blessings, not my limitations. (hmmm .... tattooed on my forehead.)
• I will still be knitting, weaving, reading, and enjoying friends and family. (Otherwise I won't be breathing - and I will be at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival yearly until I am not breathing! Maybe even when I am not breathing I can get someone to take my ashes there!) 
• I will be living in a much smaller place with less stuff.  (Amen!!!)
• I will live in the moment - not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today! (Another tattoo)

Stuff I don't have control over.

• I will celebrate my 54th Wedding Anniversary!  (I won't be alive by myself!!)
• My husband will still have enough vision left to enjoy life.  (Prayers for that please.)
• I will have my family members close by.
• I will have healed from losses of loved ones that I know are in my future. (deep breath)

And the BIGGEST goal of all will be at 76 to look another 10 years into the future at 86 and and say, 

"Ha!  Age is just a number

  and I will celebrate each anniversary of my birth

 like I did at age 6

 with enthusiasm and zest

 ... and a big piece of buttery vanilla cake

with a big fat sugary red rose right on top!!!"