@ cb72. I feel the same thing about living but I am not dealing with nearly half of what you are dealing with. My husband and fur baby give me a reason to be. Please keep posting. I would so like to get to know you better!

@cb772, Limitations with mobility and lack of help from Medicare and Medicaid for a wheelchair would find most of us feeling discouraged. However, it sounds as though you have your hands full with plenty of smile producing antics from your fabulous and diverse pets.

My one kitty, Precious, is such a comfort. The other day on the phone with a friend, the friend asked if I could hear her kitty, Frieda, in the background "talking to her"...sure enough, the friend would ask Frieda a question and the cat would respond! This went on for several minutes...where is the video camera when needed??? It was really funny. Only time Precious "talks" is when she is reminding me it is dinnertime. lol

Do your dogs and cat get along together? One of my earlier dogs and cats became best friends and would cuddle together. I became fascinated with geckos (very small lizards) several years ago and made many a trip to the exotic pet shop to pick up an order of fruit flies for their meals. Do your pets have designated areas in which they stay or can they go wherever?

Something I started with my self-isolation was making a list of neighbors and friends and their phone numbers and giving them a quick "well baby" call. Not long in duration but they seem to appreciate being "checked in with" and the calls make me feel better too.

I live in west TX but have felt so badly for those in areas with hurricanes, flooding and wildfires. Do you live in area that is contending with those? My daughter and family live in Boulder, CO and for weeks, ashes from mountain fires miles away drifted down onto their front porch and she reports that there is still a haze in the air.

Had the nicest visit with another patient waiting in the dentist's office yesterday. In my age group...anyone past 65 qualifies!! lol I'm 77yrs and living alone as well. She commented that although she'd gone through a time of severe anxiety and depression several years ago and had feared that her self-restricting Covid measures would land her back in the earlier depression which she took meds for at the time, she was surprised to discover as the weeks, months passed that she was at more peace and accepting of her quarantine than most of the people she knew. I could have hugged her neck because my experience has been much the same.

Another action that helps me is jotting down a few gratitudes in a separate journal each day. I try to come up with new ones not mentioned before. Yesterday it was for a 4 slice toaster and Oster blender still frequently used and received as wedding gifts in 1965. Smiles

Television sit coms and reality shows are not my cup of tea; I must have a warped sense of humor. Instead I like "The Good Witch", "Rizzoli and Isles" and "Monk". I still watch reruns of Diagnosis Murder and Heat of the Night. Do you have favorite programs? PBS is my favorite channel because of their many good documentaries, nature programs and series to enjoy. What are some of your favorite tv programs? Do any of your pets watch with you?