Friday, September 25, 2020

Basement cleaning today

Totally off schedule with the cleaning as the basement should have been done Monday. However, life does get in the way sometimes! Our generator is all tuned up and ready for the winter just in case. Some of the garden has been cleaned away for winter but far more of that to do. My fraud experience has drifted to the back of my mind for the moment. And sadly one of my brothers is not doing well. We have become close, he and I, in the last fifteen years. We used to regularly go and have a dinner with him at least once a year and sometimes oftener. He enjoyed getting out to some of his old restaurant haunts as he is now without a car. But we have not been back now for a couple of years and he has declined somewhat once again. He had a heart attack at 39 so has actually done very well as he is now 77 years of age. Two bypasses in his life and he has stuck very well to his diet of both food and exercise. It is refreshing to see that it can be done. We chatted a few months back as he wanted me to take some pictures that my mother had received as gifts at Christmas (small artwork done by someone she knew). I can only vaguely remember them as they arrived long after we moved here. I would rather see them go back to the artist myself but hopefully one of my siblings or their children who knew my mother well might also be willing to acquire them. There is always a responsibility attached to our parent's/grandparent's belongings that have come to us through the years. The ones that have been the most important to them I have kept and fortunately, for me, they are mostly small items although I now have my grandmother's rocking chair which is a small sized one but still an adult chair. All other pieces of furniture from my family are now gone though; anything that I have kept are small pieces that my children may enjoy one day if they wish. 

I have been working away on chromosome 1 bringing the data up to my new standard for collection. That particular chromosome has 99 good matches and I am more than half way through now. It has been interesting looking at them again although I have only just rephased Chromosome 1 for my grandparents that work was done nearly six months ago now which in itself is hard to believe. COVID-19 has certainly changed our lives a great deal plus my husband has been ill and in and out of hospital in May. He grows stronger every day but certainly less active and more dependent on me. Hence any thought of seeing my brother is unfortunately out of the question. 

My parents now have eight great grandsons and one great granddaughter with another great granddaughter on the way. My mother would have been thrilled with all of her great grandchildren (she did get to meet and spend time with the five oldest ones). But especially she would be thrilled with her great granddaughters. She so loved to knit and sew for her grandchildren and especially her granddaughters. But still she did knit for her grandsons as well. In her 80s she found it difficult to knit and I can understand that having arthritis in the hands can make knitting somewhat difficult. Although I think I will try once again as it is now eight years since I sprained my thumb knitting. My fingers are strong from typing and as long as I do not become totally frantic and knitting like mad once again I may be able to accomplish a couple of matching sweaters. 

Well on to basement cleaning; I like to keep up to date on the cleaning so that I do not have a major cleaning time but rather a smooth transition from one week to the next.

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