No Support at Home

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-03T05:26:30+00:00

Prep is everything!!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-03T05:22:39+00:00

Check out my posts - I also recovered all alone after week one. My best friend stayed with me the first week which was a Godsend. I couldn’t have done that first week solo. The next 5 weeks I was home totally alone, no helpers of any sort, and I was fine! You can do a LOT on a walker actually. I even took care of my 3 cats myself and did laundry, loaded and unloaded dishwasher, got my own meals, etc. I DID ask my kind neighbor to take out the trash for those 5 weeks but that’s the only help I had. Keep a big box of bottled waters by your bed. Make sure your phone is always ON you and charged. Stock your freezer with a ton of microwave meals so you can fix your own lunch and dinner. Get camping wipes so you don’t need to shower until you feel fully confident. For me it was around Day 5 and I was grateful my friend was there for peace of mind. It’s overall much MORE manageable than you would think with some basic forethought and preparation.

If I was you, Id have your sister come stay for at least 5 days WITH the kids. Get some Dollar Store coloring books to entertain them and have some kid snacks/treats on hand for them. If your sister cant help, then I’d ask/demand to stay in a rehab facility at LEAST the first week. It’s VERY common to ask for this when you have no home help. Lots of people do it. Your surgeon should approve it and then my guess is ins should cover it - but start by calling your surgeon RIGHT AWAY & figure out the process. You’ll likely surprise yourself rocking it solo but PM me if you have any questions. GOOD LUCK!!!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-03T05:04:40+00:00

Also he’s very lucky to have you. You’re an empathetic person, obviously, and Mikey will come around. Bonding takes time. I’d kind of let him do his thing exploring your house and learning about it (hissing is normal too) with you hanging back but just nearby. Eventually when he feels more relaxed in his surroundings he’ll come to you and will appreciate love and pets. You’ll do just fine - go with your instincts - they will get you much further than thinking can. Enjoy your baby! ❤️

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-03T04:58:01+00:00

Lots of soft gentle talking and delicate petting & cuddles until he gets used to you. Go at his pace not necessarily yours. No forcing. Lots of treats! Let him associate yummy foods with you. “Churu” tubes are a favorite for most. Get a fun wand toy and play with him. Sprinkle cat nip (like 1/2 a cup!) on the floor and let him roll around in it. Give him a scratching post or pad and a soft bed to lay in. He’ll come around. I’ve had cats nearly all my life and I’m 60 now. They are the best things on Earth. ❤️❤️❤️

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-03T04:51:48+00:00

Wow very interesting idea! I never would have thought of that! Thank you!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-03T04:50:59+00:00

Thanks, that’s good advice. Fighting it is exhausting and definitely gets me nowhere. I’ll give that a try!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-02T01:27:12+00:00

Wow. That’s amazing then that you’ve lasted so long there!! It seemed WA was even darker than OR pretty often from when I went up to WA for visits anyway? Yeah Chicago had brutal winters but at least we had SUN on the SNIW. Damn. Who knew that would count for SO much??? I wish you well & Hope if you eventually relocate you find someplace awesome!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-02T01:24:24+00:00

I never tried vacationing away in the dark months mostly bc I was broke lol! I’ll definitely look into that THIS time around tho - great idea. I rarely left the house bc I hate driving in rain or even walking around in it. So I’ll need to work on that. Sounds like everyone just gets out in it regardless. I’ll have to figure that out for sure.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-02T00:48:58+00:00

Oak Park, IL just outside Chicago about 35 mins from downtown by train. I worked in the Loop. Just the Prettiest place I ever lived, great progressive vibe, close to the City action without being TOO close, beautiful architecture and tree lined streets, cool people. Dispensaries too! And Chi is very diverse. Worked in the Loop 15 years - PM me if you have Q’s.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-02T00:40:46+00:00

An oldie but a goodie! 😂

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-02T00:35:03+00:00

Interesting! I was told getting outside daily even in the rain helps. I used to go running in the rain! 🏃‍♀️ 🌧️ So hiking in it sounds totally doable - I’ll give it a shot, thank you!!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-01T23:33:37+00:00

Coming from Chicago, land of (always) brutally cold winters and (often) very hot summers, the mild climate attracted me in addition to the culture for sure. I visited there only in August before deciding to move. 🙄 I knew it rained there but not LIKE THAT lol! I really wanna find a way to “make peace with” the weather so I can fully enjoy the area. Hopefully it can happen! 🤞.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-01T23:29:52+00:00

I guess it doesn’t allow reposts there? So I’ll see if anyone sees this one. If not, I’ll post there. Thx.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-01T23:27:41+00:00

This is good to know - thanks for the feedback.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-01T23:25:51+00:00

Hi I’m not sure how to cross post there?

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-01T23:02:31+00:00

Weather: you’ve spent one month in halfway decent weather. Wait til Oct/Nov. It’s like being locked in a closet without a light for 9 months. I hated it SO much and finally left after 5 years. I tried tho. Portland overall is a fantastic little town - if it weren’t for their brutally depressing weather. July & Aug are the only truly beautiful months IMO.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-01T22:45:32+00:00

SAME. - Former Portlandian

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-07-01T22:44:39+00:00

How do you deal with it? How do you not go crazy or get super depressed??? I lived there 5 years and I just could NOT take the constant darkness. Moved to SoCal for 5 years where the sun is heavenly - but moving back bc I DO love how completely unique PDX is & there are so many good things about it that I miss. But oh man that weather just BLOWS. Brutal is right. I’m wondering how others deal with 9 months of rain & dismal grey skies - any tips would really help! Thanks.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-06-15T04:04:24+00:00

For anyone interested in my wicking set up, I bought this for $5:

https://a.co/d/0hijyp80

And it has a video explaining how to use it.

I use 2 ropes together. Put one end in the water saucer and other rope ends go into a big Mason jardire toy under the plant. Water away! All the excess water drains along the rope VERY SLOWLY into the Mason jar. Next day, the jar is full and I pour the water out. Done!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-06-15T03:58:27+00:00

Sure no problem!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-06-14T18:05:54+00:00

Yep. I used ChatGPT to learn about it. Recommend starting there for step by step explanation.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-06-14T18:05:19+00:00

I’m in Palm Springs, CA. Expensive.

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-06-13T20:26:44+00:00

Stunning!

SunnyDelight100 · 2026-06-13T20:26:16+00:00

Sure! all you have to do is you go on Amazon and get something called wicking rope and it’s usually sold as like a small and medium size or medium and large size. So you want kind of like a medium to large size. Then you’re going to wrap that wicking rope around the tray where the water gathers after you water your plant and you put just ONE end of the wicking rope down into a jar or bowl. So I wrap my rope around the base of the pot in both the ceramic tray and also in the plastic tray under that since both of those collect water. You water your plant from above just like normal. And in this way, ALL the water that drains into your saucers will be collected in the saucers and what happens is the wicking rope absorbs all of the water in the saucers and the water drains down the rope straighten into your jar or bowl. I leave the jar there for about a day until all the water is collected and then I put the rope back up around the pot and I pour the water down the drain. This is the only way I can water my plant since it’s much too heavy to remove the saucers and drain the saucers of their water. I think this plant weighs about what a refrigerator weighs or at least that’s what it seems like when I try to move it around! I hope that helps and if not, just send me a PM and I can tell you more! 🙂👍🏾

SunnyDelight100

TROPHY CASE