Weekend Surprise

SIS and BIL decided to surprise us on Friday night and came to Antalya for the weekend. It was 2 a.m. when they made it. So, I went to my PT early in the morning yesterday and came home around 10:30 a.m. We all had breakfast at a nearby place and the three of us went to the beach. As usual uncle did not join us because he never dips his toes in the water "this early" in the season. You may think he goes swimming every day in August but, you would be mistaken. He just does not care for it anymore.

We had a nice dinner at a place we all like. This morning we got up around 10 a.m. and had breakfast at home. SIS and BIL went to the beach and I am doing laundry. It is a very hot day and my tendinitis does not allow me to go to the pebble beach which I dislike anyway. I am sitting in the middle of all the open windows as I am typing this. There is A/C but, my family dislikes it and it bothers them. If uncle goes out as well, I will surely turn it on till they come home. Uncle just took out his guitar and started to exercise so, I guess no A/C today. Thankfully there is a breeze.

My last day of  PT is Tuesday. I must say it has worked wonderfully but now, I know I have a chronic condition so, I will be most careful and wear only the best shoes and keep on doing the exercises. 

I am getting ready to go back to Ankara next Friday. SIS and BIL will be there too. They have some doctor's appointments and I think SIS wants to celebrate my bday which I would just rather forget. Having lost mom on the very same day still upsets me and I do not know whether I will ever get over that. 

I spoke to my dad's cousin. She just came back from the US visiting her niece who graduated from University of Michigan. As we were talking, I told her about the paint job at my apartment in June and she told me about her upcoming cataracts surgeries so, we decided that I should stay at her apartment during the painting. I will take her to the surgeries and help her while she is recovering. In the meantime, my apartment will be painted. I was looking for a hotel for 4-5 days but, this will help me save some money. 

Hopefully, I will be flying on the 29th. 5 days after I come back, my BFF will fly over to spend 10 days with me. Initially, we were thinking to fly together but her wedding anniversary got in the way. I doubt that her husband would mind but, I guess she does. 

This summer is surely a busy one. Who said retirement is boring? 

Not much to write about

I am going to PT every day except for Sundays and then I am going to the beach after that. The water is crisp and cold so, the locals do not go to the beaches much yet. Russian, Ukrainian, Canadian, German and British tourists and I have no problems dipping in the cold water. The only difference between us is the fact that, I hide under the shade of two beach umbrellas covered in sunscreen when they are basically frying themselves. 

Yesterday, it felt like summer for the first time. No breeze to ccol off so, I felt the heat and went in the water several times.

I brought 5 books with me and I am about to finish the 5th one. I need at least two more books before I go back so, I will look at what my uncle has. He doesn't like novels so, I may not find anything I will enjoy. 

I have read the first 3 books of the Kurt Wallander series by Henning Mankell, a Swedish writer. I enjoyed them very much and then noticed a series on Netflix called the Young Wallander based on the character created by H. Mankell. I think, I will buy the rest of the books in that series.

My tendinitis is getting better. I want to get gifts for my physical therapist, the doctor and the lady at the entrance to the hospital. They are really sweet and attentive. I just do not know what to get. I have the whole week to figure it out. I have 8 more days of PT. 

When I am in the US, I will buy myself two pairs of New Balance 993s. They are the best for my feet despite being expensive. I think, I will wear them 98% of the time to keep my orthopedic problems at bay. I have been told, my tendinitis has become a chronic condition so, I should keep doing my exercises and applying ice after every long walk. My SIS jokes that mom and dad produced offspring with mechanical and software problems. I tend to agree with her. Thankfully, our processors are so far OK.

I am trying to figure out what each of us need so that I can buy them in the US. I like to come back with gifts for my family but these days, USD has become so expensive against TL that I need to choose my gifts wisely. I am afraid this may be my last trip to the US. I hope, we shall see better days if we can get rid of this asshole of a government.

Today there was no PT and I decided to stay home and sleep in. I am doing my exercises and resting my feet on ice every two hours. I will also look at my financial situation and see what bills need to be paid before June. Most of the regular bills are on autopay so, it is a matter of keeping enough cash on the two accounts I use.

Hope, everyone had a relaxing weekend. Wishing all a good and productive week!

A busy time ahead

As I was applying ice to my tendon today, I took the opportunity to sit down and make a plan till the end of June.

My PT is going to end on May 31st. I would like to go to Ankara on June 3rd, till June 7th. Then I will go back home. I texted the contractor reminding that I would like them to start the paint job on the week of 13th of June. In two weeks, I should be done with everything at home so that, I can start my US vacation peacefully.  May be I can finish purging the last couple of areas before painting starts. 

Today, I cleaned up the counter tops and cabinets of uncle's kitchen. He is generally clean but, a bit lax about thorough cleaning.

I have decided on a few projects in this apartment to make it more homey than a bachelor apartment. That will require me coming here for a few weeks and sending uncle off to either my place or Ankara or may be both. I am thinking some time in April-May next year. My sister had mentioned that she wanted to do a few things as well. 

I also need to find a cleaning lady for him who lives nearby. If someone comes every three weeks, that will be just fine.

As for help for me in Istanbul; during the painting, I will try the new cleaning lady whom my old one has recommended and if I like her, I will ask her to come regularly starting in the Fall. I really need someone every two or three weeks. More would be an unnecessary expense in these ultra expensive economic times. With that said, I am sure the cleaning ladies need jobs and the ability to feed their kids so, it is sort of a social duty too if one can afford it.

A friend of mine just came back from the US. She found it extremely expensive not only due to the weakness of our money but also due to the inflation in the US. I am not going on a shopping excursion this time. I will only buy what we all truly need and what is too expensive here in Turkey. I need an extra pair of NB 990s and new jeans, uncle needs a couple of cargo shorts. I will ask my SIS and BIL what they need. SIS possibly needs a pair of new jeans too. We need long jeans which are hard to come by in our sizes over here. I have been wearing Lane Bryant jeans and have found them comfortable and durable. 

My tendon already started feeling better. The doctor gave me a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pill once a day for 10 days. I keep my foot elevated while I am sitting and keep applying ice for 15 minutes several times a day. The PT takes about an hour. I hope to be healed fully in a month. We'll see.

Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend and wish everybody a great week ahead.

Achilles Tendon

 

I hurt my right achilles tendon and made it worse when I sprained my right ankle trying to get on my uncle's little boat. 

I called a High School friend of mine who is a Physical Theraphy doctor and she recommended a former student of hers in Antalya. He took great care of me out of respect to his former professor and started me on physical theraphy for 15 days. Hopefully, I will recover before I hop on the plane to go to the US.

My cousin left last Thursday. She had a great time. The water was cold and it was windy but, she still enjoyed the beach.

My theraphy sessions are at 10:00 a.m. every day except Sunday so, after the PT, I am planning to go to the beach.

I haven't been able to keep up with my favorite blogs lately. Hope, everyone is doing fine.

Another Trip

SIS and BIL left for Izmir. They will visit his dad one last time and then hit the road. 

My cousin and I are leaving tomorrow. Now, I have to go and pack my belongings yet again. Uncle wanted some things from this apartment. I had left some beach stuff last year so, all will be gathered and packed in a larger suitcase that my SIS brought. 

I sent all foodstuffs to BIL's dad. This way I will not have to take them with me. Cannot stand wasting or throwing away food.

We spent a good deal of time with my SIS and BIL and it was nice and filled with laughter. 

After they left, I called some relatives, my mom and dad's cousins. I do want to keep in touch with them but, each phone call is so depressing. They are getting old and there are serious health issues in their families. It feels like the extended family is all falling apart. So upsetting. We also talk about mom and dad of course and how early they passed away and I get teary eyed while trying to keep it from my voice. Not happy celebratory phone calls for a holiday... Well, I guess it is how life is.

Gotta go and find something to cheer myself up. There are two more cousins of dad's to call but, I shall leave that for later. 

Just chilling

SIS and BIL arrived by dinner time yesterday. We ordered food for dinner. They brought some veggies and fruit. The strawberries and the green plums were awesome but, the loquats were too sour for me.

Today, we wanted to go to the cemetery but, it was so crowded that, we had to turn back. Tomorrow or the next day, I guess.

They went to see BIL's dad and I returned home to cook. I made snow peas, purslane and a cheese pie for dinner. Then I made a pudding for tomorrow.

I think, I will watch a movie tonight because SIS and BIL will be out with friends after dinner. I am thinking Avengers: Infinity War. 

We have two more days as a family and then they will go back home on the last day of the holiday. My cousin and I are leaving the day after. I need to re-organize my suitcase to put in my beach stuff. 

I have no plans till our trip to Antalya so, I'm just chilling.