Strenuous Stuff

Pretty strenuous day--but satisfying, as such days often are. First, I got my wash done, always a lousy chore, but this time, the washers and dryers at least performed as they're supposed to. That took up most of the morning and I spent the rest of it writing a note to Dr. Jennings. I thought it would be easier and clearer to write rather than tell the receptionist, who would tell her, then reverse the process, and so on. The note just outlined the problem with the colon consultation, which I can't get until January 5, the day before I was to see her. Asked if I could go elsewhere or was it okay to wait. I'm a bit uncomfortable not knowing why the hemo is low, but if it's okay to wait, I will. Dropped the note at her office. I will have bloodwork a week from yesteday, and I'm confident results will be better because I have so much more energy than I did--in fact, that's where the strenuous part comes in.
I was getting more and more nervous over the fact that my prized pictures of the Atlantic City boardwalk and beach were still on the balcony (well, it's a balcony that's on the ground floor). They're still in the heavy packing cardboard the movers put them in and have been that way since they were loaded on the truck in Jersey six months ago. Today was cloudy, unusual for here, that's a cinch, and I was sure it would rain, in which case, they could be ruined. (Of course, I've been hearing for weeks that El Nino is coming, but nary a drop has fallen so far.)
Still, I was nervous about them getting wet; at the same time, I don't want to hang them until I get some semblance of how my place will actually end up. I want to sell or donate both my bench and my table, probably get rid of the big ugly easy chair, and add a sofa and maybe a few other items. Don't want to decide where to put the pictures until that's done. I know Ellen would have immediately offered to get them moved for me--in fact, she already has--but I didn't know where they could go, so refused.
Anyhoo, to make a long and boring story shorter, I realized that if I shifted a few things around, they would actually fit in the dining area, still packed. Once I decided that, I lifted, dragged, "walked," and tugged all those suckers--five of them, the boxes ranging from about six feet by three to slightly smaller. Damn, they were heavy, but slowly and carefully, with plenty of stops to sit down and rest, I did it all by myself without going into a hemeostatic coma (just made that up) or dropping dead. I also did some pretty serious moving around and clearing out of the rest of the apartment--looks much better and feels much better.
Went to Winco and got myself some chili fixings I want to put together for dinner, plus wine and stuff. All in all, a really good and fulfilling day. Good news, too, in that my social life is picking up. Today, I'm going with Carolyn to that Open House; Sunday, Nancy and I are going to lunch and the play at Santa Paula Theatre; Tuesday, dinner with the Golden Girls and then my birthday and you-know-what are coming up fast.