Hi @jjwest, allow me to bring you into a discussion with @SusanEllen66 @rivermaya34 @gregoryz @sandysurf @linh @jan62 @emil @poppyseed123 @ann16 and quite a few other members. See here:
- Lonely and Just want to talk with virtual friends here https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/very-lonely/

Even when surrounded by family members, like your son and his family, you can be void of personal chat that help you feel connected.

@ellamster started this discussion to bring Connect friends around the virtual kitchen table. I think she just made a fresh pot of coffee, so pull up a chair and join in.

Jean, what's a fun or funny thing you'd like the group to know about you?

Hello Jean - I am not lonely because I can still get around, but am frustrated by tremors as well, so my jewelry and art supplies were gathering dust and making me feel bad.
A couple years ago, an artist friend started teaching paint-alongs that were not satisfying for me because of the tremors - her style is realistic, I couldn't get there!
So she introduced me to a watercolorist who taught me a new way to paint. I don't know the real name of the technique, so I call it "dribble and tilt" (my little sister says that's a perfect name for unsteady seniors.) You create a very thin watercolor, dribble 2-3 colors on your paper, spritz with a little water, then move the paper around to create some abstract shapes. Then look at it from several angles, pick a blot or two that look vaguely like a flower or tree and begin building - with more dribble or a few imprecise brush strokes. Makes some pretty abstract flower/landscape pics, after dry I can embellish - have made a few cards to send.

As for jewelry - I can manage beads/stones as big as a dried bean or marble, but I packed up all the tiny stuff - seed beads, fine needles, tiny findings - and passed them on to a young Mom in the neighborhood through our local "Buy Nothing" group on Facebook. She is making jewelry to sell at Craft Shows. It feels good to not look at it, and to know someone is using it.

I don't know if either of those ideas is a help, but thought I would share.
Sue

I live alone in a northern state and escape the winter snow and ice by going to live with my son and his family in Florida for January to mid-March. What you wrote about being welcome, as long as you follow the rules, really resonated with me 🤣🤣
I have found two tasks I can physically do, which are very helpful to them and bring lots of good vibes- I do all the family laundry- I drag it downstairs, to the w/d, in bunches in a tall kitchen trash bag, so it’s not too much or too heavy for me. I sit on a chair near the w/d to sort, load, change to the dryer, take out to a wash basket. I put a plastic grocery bag through the basket handle and pull it to the dining room table, then sit to fold and sort. I stack the clothes back in the basket and pull it over to the stairs for someone to take up. This saves the parents hours!! I just started saying, “This is good exercise for me”, “I really like to do the wash”. It helps pass the time and you feel like you are contributing to the household and it IS good exercise! I never go in the parents’ room to get or bring back laundry, I just say, “Whenever you want to bring down your stuff, I’m ready!” Reluctance didn’t last long once I started in on the kids.
The other thing I do is to clean the kitchen after meals. I can hold onto the counters if I need to, the dishwasher and trash can are right there, everyone clears the table. This gives the parents extra time to be with the kids and takes an extra job off their plates. Again, I just started saying, “This is good exercise for me.”, and it is! My daughter-in-law says, “It’s like the elves were here!”
Doing these tasks helps give structure to my day and week, is a safe way to get exercise and activity, and saves the parents hours of housework, which they can spend with the kids or relaxing or taking a walk together (you’re helping support the marriage too).