I CAN - tell us the things you CAN do!

Let's share the wonderful positive things we CAN do!

I'm a great cook - in the morning, lol.

I can do taxes. And teach ANYBODY to sing, and successfully forget books I've read so that if only we could find them, I'd never need to buy a new book. And winter sow, but somebody else has to do the sawing in half and the hole punching for me.

xx, Carrie

And you are both marvelous, bright and funny computer pals! I always enjoy chatting with both of you! :)

Come on cat, brag a little....

OH, leaflady reminded me of some more things I CAN do! I CAN drive, as long as it's in my specially equipped van. I can drive my father to his Dr. appointments, and my kids thither and yon and myself do the grocery shopping.

xx Carrie

whoops - even I don't know what picture I attached! I own a pic of myself in front of my van...

My friends say I'm funny and tell a good story. I get along with teenagers. Driving myself isn't a problem before lunch time.

This is hard.

No it's not! Will you get along with my teenagers? xx, C

Cathy, thank you for this thread. Remembering all the things we CAN do helps push the can'ts into the background and makes us more confident individuals. Just as counting our blessings makes us more grateful for each of them.

I'm listening to How It's Made on Discovery channel. I'm so thankful for TV. Especially in the winter.This segment has been about how books are made. Very interesting. Jack liked this show too.

On Monday nights I like to watch Little People, Big World & Jon & Kate Plus 8. I so admire all of them. Amy & Matt are so determined to live normal style lives. I use to wonder where the money to build that farm came from. Then one episode I used the DVD to record told that he use to sell very high tech software and that paid for it. He now has his own company that makes and sells special stools & reacher kits for dwarfs that are needed for them to get along more safely in motels, hotels, etc. One chain of hotels put a kit in each of its 400 hotels. All the stools were made in a big barn on the farm by just a few personal friends/employees & the children. Amy has gone back to teaching preschool or kindergarten and works at some other part time job too. Jon & Kate have their hands full with the twin girls who are about 7 now and the sextuplets who are about 3 or 4 now. Does anyone else watch these programs?

We watch very little TV. (We're too cheap to pay for cable.) But, I CAN teach my kids about the other fun things there are to do that AREN'T TV! xx, Carrie

I love those 2 programs. I admire Matt and Amy tremedously, although I think they need to rein in the teenagers a bit. But all in all they seem like decent, polite kids. LOL And better Jon and Kate than me, although I want to get my hands on those cutie babies so bad. They are little dolls! Those programs are on rather later here, and since my sleep schedule is still so screwy I'll sit up and watch those when I'm not on DG.......LOL

I work every day with special needs folks and I admire no one as much as those people. Kudos to you all.

On Mondays I sometimes stay up until after 12 if I haven't seen the episodes. Tonight is a lot of reruns of LPBW. J & K + 8 was a new episode. She hired a young woman to help her 2 afternoons a week so she can get something done & the evening meal prepared without the 6 underfoot and they can still be supervised. Mady & Cara had their 7th birthday. I think Mady needs to be disciplined more. She is so tempermental at times I think we would knock heads often if she was mine. I actually had one much like her and we didn't get along until she was in her 30s. I always told her Hollywood didn't know what they were missing. lol

I walked off 100 calories on my Gazelle. That is about my exertion limit. If I really try I can get up to 100 calories 3 times a day. But I can't seem to just jump in and start doing that much without working up to it. During the winter months tho I really need to be doing that much. I'm eating too much again and gaining back too many lost #s.

I need to turn off the TV and go to bed. GOD bless and keep each of you.

Sorry, don't watch much TV here.

I stay occupied with other things usually. In fact I really need my 8 or 9 hours and often have to force myself to go to bed. If I got my legs back tomorrow, I couldn't justify all this loafing I do on DG and a few others. That would be tough.

I've only been online for about 3 1/2 years and am still learning to use this thing. Anything I want to know is at my fingertips. Just wondrous. I don't drive but I can get away from the house anytime with the computer.

I often make to do lists and never get them all checked off. I'm like leaflady, can't get too excited about housework. I still have a piece of my old business, real estate. That requires constant vigilance in the form collection letters, phone calls and some bookkeeping. It has become a real nuisance factor because I can't do rehabs anymore and that was my great pleasure. Now it's just a necessary evil to pay the bills but gratifying that I can.

I decided I was going to live in the winter of '05. I really got into DG and I began to see all manner of possibilities. I was facing this big black void called My Future. I've always liked to make things happen just to prove I can and I love the competitive sport called business. So I woke up one day and decided I was going to start a daylily nursery in my back yard and sell them online. That was in '06. I did my first sales in '07 and I'm proud to say that I added a lot of new plants and supplies without having to feed it any new money.

I really don't expect to make significant money at it but it lights my fire and that's what matters. Lots of exercise, always searching new and better ways, studying marketing and the related human nature, photography. Last year I got into cannas and this year I'm adding amaryllis. Everyday surrounded by all this new life boosts my self esteem. As a by product, I'm supporting zillions of frogs and lizards. Also learned that I love to hybridize and this year will see my first babies.

I can't work in the soil but I can grow thousands of mature plants. I can go without rain for weeks and only water potted plants once a week in 95* weather. I can move a truck load of potting mix in half a day. I can make a new bed 3 x 10 in one day without help. That's pretty impressive for anybody and I'll be glad to share my secrets if anyone wants to know. It's all about learning to do things in a different way.

Wow Twiggy, you must have a lot of space! More than I do, at least! xx, Carrie

Twiggy, that is so wonderful, good for you. I would love to talk to you in more detail about marketing strategies in relation to market growing. DH and I have been talking about trying something like that, but I'm not quite sure how to pull it together. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)

I'd love to hear how you move stuff.

I can choose to be positive and happy every day.
I can smile and say "GOD bless to you" to everyone I meet & mean it.
I can open doors for others with their arms full or appear to just be in need of a helping hand.
I can say "I'm blessed beyond measure"and mean it when someone asks how I am.
I can give thanks for all I have and can do and pray for those less blessed.
I can leave the handicaped parking place for someone more handicapped than myself and walk across the parking lot to the store. Then on days when I really NEED that parking place close to the door I can be & am thankful for it.
I can be & am very thankful for DG and all my family on it. You are part of my extended family as are the wonderful people I work for and with at the cafe' on Fridays and some Saturdays & my church family.
I do use what abilities I have to the utmost(except for the cleaning part)so GOD can work thru me and knows I am thankful for those abilities.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

Carrie I have2/3 of an acre. Paying others to cut my grass (weeds) didn't sit well so my new plan is to completely do away with it. I've still got some space in the back and sides. You may have seen in the other thread that I avoid the front. It's a barren wasteland. I salvaged my roses and left the shrubs. I've mastered nursery beds but attractive presentation is going to be a real challenge.

Doccat I'm glad to share with you but I'm thinking others here might be bored. Maybe dmail or at least another thread. I'm a wannabe market gardener and lurk on that forum.

Ha! Cathy I made that statement knowing I'd either get questions or be automatically branded a teller of tall tales. The answer is real simple, a power chair. Now don't get your back up, I really mean this. Anybody with a significant mobility or stamina problem really needs to get one even if they hate the idea. I had to wait until I could get a used one due to finance but it has saved me. I use a manual chair in the house but couldn't even get out of the house without the power one. It's well balanced and rated for 300 pounds. I can carry bags of soil, large pots, 8 one gallons with plants, anything almost. Even something too heavy to lift, if I can drag it upon the foot rest, I can move it. I was in so much denial I didn't even accept that I needed a ramp for the first two years. Now that I sacrificed my pride, I can do so many things. It was a choice of to do or not to do and I finally came to my senses.

Leaflady you are such a strong character. Truly an inspiration. When I get in the mood for a pity party I hope I have sense enough come back and reread some of these threads because you're all an inspiration.

Dorothy

Dorothy, I use power chairs in stores, or I'd never make it back to the front. I also spend more, lol.

You all inspired me, I drove 45 minutes each way to visit my grandkids so my daughter could rest, she has a bad cold and works nights. I'm so tired I can barely type, but it was worth it.

Grandchildren are wonderful - I borrow my husband's when I need a fix. Did I mention that I don't measure myself by normal vs. not normal? abnormal? I go by ordinary vs. extraordinary. When you're extraordinary you have to pace yourself differently.
x, C

Carrie, well said! My deal has always been "define normal" I've met many who looked like the normal package on the outside, but whole different deal on the inside. Don't like labeling people, since what you see may not be what you're gonna get.

Well said indeed. I doubt I've ever been in the company of better people no matter what you call yourselves.

I bet I've got a new one for you. I can navigate to all 4 corners of my garage for probably the first time since I built the house. I had a man come and clean out last week. My kids both came by on the weekend and made a very big deal out of it. So contrary to popular belief.... I can get cruel with my excess baggage. It feels good.

Carrie, I'm glad you have a wonderful attitude about 'normal' vs extraordinary. It really is hard to define normal. What is normal for one person may be totally abnormal for someone else. Even within a family. It really is a very relative word. And so overused.

Twiggy, I so admire your spunk and determination. We are alike in that sense. I have an acre of yarden. Thankfully my DIL does the mowing since the riding mower is more or less past it's days of taking care of this lawn. Jack had a dream of owning a commercial type riding mower for years and we were able to make that dream come true just a few months before he died. He got to use it about 5 or 6 times. We had to sell it tho to pay off the loan against it. The kids bought a commercial type walk behind. Since Holly does the mowing we let her pick it out. She use to do mowing,etc. for a landscaping company. That leaves the flowers and veggie yardening to me. Tho Holly and Kyle help when I need it. I try to not ask unless I just can't do it any other way.

Must go get the bedroom ready for Geraldine. She is my 83 year old friend who is coming to live with me tomrrow. She will have inhome therapies and the worman who use to live with her will come and help when I have to go to work, church, etc. I still haven't heard from her yet this morning tho so I need to try again to call her. I need her to meet me at the house and help me catch the cats, get Geraldines clothes, medical equipment, etc.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

Leaflady I wish you'd start a new thread on the subject of shared living in your home. In all sincerity I am happy living alone but the right person might be a win/win.

I can pass this rainy, chilly, yucky day very pleasantly thanks to DG.

I can plot and plan new gardens and the all important how to achieve it.

I can't keep sitting here looking at my disorderly house without guilt. So see ya later.

lol twiggy, the clutter got to me, today is cleaning day for me, too.

I started the new thread this morning. Hope to see some input on the subject.

It's not fit for man nor beast outside yesterday or today. You folks up north are used to the cold so I wish you'd just keep it to yourselves.

I can take out the trash and fetch the newspaper in one fast trip.

I can sweep and mop the kitchen, just takes a long time.

I can make a pot of soup which will last me for days even if I share with the 3 cats and 2 dogs.

I can knock a pot full of dirt and cuttings off the window sill as soon as I clean the floor. Does anyone else notice that mopping seems to trigger some sort of spill or mess?

lol twiggy, it's the truth, messes follow cleaning.

I can sing loudly (and slightly off key) at church and mean it with all my heart. I can hold the door open for the others using canes or walkers. I can smile really big and welcome new people. I have great empathy for others learning they are sick and can talk with them openly.

I can sing in the choir at church (and secretly pray that the choir director learns that people in wheelchairs make contributions to her choir) (and even if they don't, I do, and even if I don't, I deserve to be allowed to sing). Mostly, the choir in my church sings from the choir loft, which, of course, I cannot access. Sometimes, especially during January (MLK's birthday) and February (Black History Month) we sing on the floor of the church, and then I am allowed in. (LOL)

I have such mixed feelings about my church. Music and religion to me are part and parcel of the same thing, or maybe I mean that music is my religion. Anyway this darn choir director and her organ loft! Grrrr. Plus she's hard to get along with.

But I had a good time. x, Carrie

Carrie,

Tell her to move the choir down to include you, AND that you want to do solos. c4

OH I can't do the solos - they have PAID soloists! All I do well is sight-read, and that usually takes more energy than I care to give her. She's been told, by me AND my DH. But thank you, Cathy. (This is a horrible thing to say, but i think I will outlive her by a bunch. She's a fabulous organist, but a so-so choir director - eventually, she will have to retire, right?)
x, C

I CAN stay on this site way too long. Sheese, I see plants I haven't seen or thought about growing in a long time. I find plants that I didn't know the name for. I see plants that inspire me to tend to a garden.
AND ...
I CAN sew/quilt as long as I do it in small increments and use my push button sewing machine.
I CAN cry when I read a book.
I CAN love each one of my grandchildren as if they were the ONLY one.
I CAN thank God for my many blessings.
I CAN giggle and laugh with my best friend of 30 yrs as if we were still new friends.
I CAN do AND enjoy woodworking projects with my Dad even if my 2 brothers don't. (it makes up for not wanting to play basketball in high school)
I CAN forget that my Mom is gone and still pick up the phone to call her after 8 months.
and best of all, after today,
I can look at the Member Only sections. YAY......I treated myself to a subscription even though I shouldn't have.

In spite of extensive damage to both shoulders and upper arm muscles this past year, by the healing power of JESUS I CAN still do a lot of my yarden work and hold down a part time job.

I haven't seen any activity on this thread for some time so I'm so glad to see nannie's post.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

HAHA I can say Oops too. I didn't look at the dates....I just read the name and being a newbie, jumped in head first. =)

Welcome Nannie, I'm glad YOU CAN! This week by carefully pacing myself & finally having the proper tools, I weeded a whole flower bed at church and planted some wave petunias as ground cover under old roses. I'm exhausted but feel wonderful! Bless you all!

I CAN (I still can't quite believe it) make flowers grow from tiny dry seeds. The seedlings are all out in milk jugs on the patio. I can also routinely kill half of them by too much or too little water, drainage, or whatever, but it's so much fun at about the same price as buying perennials, I think, and I often get more plants. I'm glad we got this thread going again.
xx, Carrie

I saw this thread and hope you don't mind that I contribute. I have my own health issues but my husband has BKA. We have been married just short of 2 years and he is the BEST thing that ever happened to me. There is very little he can't do, one way or another. If I think I can make a project easier, I do. I get his tools if he is under the car, he is a pleasure to work with.

Standing for very long is painful for him. Uneven or unstable ground is a terrible hazard for him, this knowledge is enough for me to choose something more suitable than the flagstone walkway I always wanted before he entered my life.

It seems that every spring when "shorts weather" comes, someone else is stunned that he has a titanium leg, they just knew he had a limp. All of us have a limitation of one kind or another, his is more visible than most but he is one fo the most skilled men I have ever met. He is such an Angel and I am so lucky to have met and married him.

BKA? Sorry, I know lots of the abbreviations, but not that one. Best Kindest Angel?

I too have no idea what BKA might stand for. Please enlighten us.

I am so glad to see newbies. You are always welcome to jump right in here.