End of year blues

[ahwf]

as the year ends I’ve started seeing posts on social media asking what people achieved this year. This year has been extremely hard for me in every aspect and looking at the bright side has become extremely hard. I feel I wasn’t able to achieve any of my goals this year. I know I should be grateful for the little things I was able to achieve but being in a rut since last year coupled with an economic crisis and not being able to change jobs has me pretty down. I’m just hoping I can hang in and ride out of this funk.

[litethatnevergoesout]

you survived and pulled through that’s amazing. I try not to pay attention to comparing achievements I know I’ve had my years where nothing seemed like it could stop me and I have times now where making it is all I can seem to do, so I do that.

[ahwf in reply to litethatnevergoesout]

Thank you 😊

[litethatnevergoesout]

That’s a lot to have go through so much stress and so much at once and why not self medicate at the time for some reason it feels like it’s all we can do but it’s not healthy and we learn hard lessons sometimes. you are handling everything great right now depression is a monster. I like reading about what’s going on and how you’re doing. Your attitude is fabulous.

[Mskitty21]

Ughhh I hate end of the year stuff like that…. We are all just out here doing the best we can ❤️ I also don’t enjoy New Years and all the resolutions because I’ll again just do the best I can which is all we can do 😊 You made it through a tough year and that’s something accomplished for sure ❤️

[ahwf in reply to Mskitty21]

Thank you

[MaggieSylvie]

Ooh, I never knew that, Twinkly. I've had mice this year and I know how after a while I have begun to feel helpless. Most of them have left because i made the house unpleasant for them to live in but there is still a small group. At least they are not keeping me awake at night. I do have to make sure there is no food of any quantity left out at night, so I can't just relax and go to bed. I had no idea that your happy ending came at such a cost.🤗🤗

[MaggieSylvie]

Yes. I've seen them too. I don't read that sort of "get up and go, why don't you?" stuff anymore. It's not that I don't have goals, but that I don't have much energy left at the end of the day. I don't feel guilty because I am elderly, with health conditions and partner with health conditions. I know you are more than half my age but you don't have to be an old lady to need to step off the hamster wheel, and staying on it - well, that way madness lies. When you're a bit vulnerable, it doesn't take much to upset the equilibrium, and the winter season brings its own "joy". Relax and don't let anyone tell you you should be doing more than you are.😊😊

[MaggieSylvie]

We used to have cats and the only mice we had were the ones they brought in! And rabbits and birds. We used to have brown rats in the garden and they were fun to watch as they played with each other, but someone exterminated them. They had come from next door, apparently and had nests under their garage/shed. The only sign of mice there is right now would be droppings; that's how I know we still have them, but they are not usually keeping me awake with their knawing and scratching and squeaking, so I think the bedroom may be free of them. I haven't seen one for a couple of days in the usual place downstairs, so it's clear that the number is decreasing. I used peppermint oil, garlic and dryer sheets. I think what is working the best is the plug-in. I threw out the last one I had as it was useless but this one does seem to have driven them crazy and driven them out. When I see no more droppings I will relax. I do think the dryer sheets have been the best deterrent, but in general, doing all these things has definitely made our home less attractive to the little critters and I haven't killed one of them. I have found in the past that they will chew through wire wool - even stuff the builder put in the hole. So I'm saving the thick foil from little cakes and from Gu, as I know where the holes are that I can reach. I already blocked a hole in the bathroom floor with one of these and that worked. Our immediate "thing" is the black mould in the bedroom. We've had a quotation from a firm who cold called us, and I'm thinking we really don't need anything done to the roof or the roof space. I used some stuff on one side that worked but I just can't manage the other side, but when it's done, you can get paint that stops it coming back. We wouldn't be able to sell the house until that's done. The big problem is - so much stuff in the bedroom that would make a decorator refuse the job. But we haven't got anywhere to put the stuff, not to mention the actual bedroom furniture takes up a lot of space without anything else being there. I painted the walls myself a few years ago by just moving stuff around a few inches. I could probably still do that as the walls are not very high but the ceiling has to be done first.

Thank you to Pixie for his kind offer, but it would be too far for him to travel, especially on his own😼but I send him a gentle hug, and you, Twink, for reading through this rubbish🤗.

[MaggieSylvie]

Yep, my partner's a horder, Twink. He has four plastic crates beside his chair, full of paper that the mice chew up and scatter on the floor below. I'm a horder too. I think it started when I had two houses and two sets of clothes, and then I bought clothes from a catalogue that kept arriving - paper or online - it made no difference; I always got tempted. Some of the best stuff was from charity shops, though I rarely spend any time in a town now, so that only happens when I take in bags of stuff I have culled. I also sell on Ebay but I've had a break of about a year and the stuff has been ransacked by my partner and made it difficult for me to access it. I'll get around to it soon, but I need time and I just don't have enough of that.

I get the impression from "NextDoor" that there are some floods in our area but I don't know why, unless the posts are out of date. The wind suddenly got up about 10.30 and the trees are doing a merry dance.🙄🤪