Things I do differently: leaving a project undone

I'm looking forward to getting these curtains up. Used to, I'd've gone and done this myself, but not now: I'm in charge of healing my back. Patience....I'm sure this will make it to my "can do list" one day!

Thing I do differently: ok with crooked rugs

I can't stand crooked rugs, but I'm a week 5 post op and 5 weeks is a long time to go without scratching an itch. So, I think I have made some peace with crooked or off-centered rubber-backed rugs. I'm still not ok with it, but I can't do anything about it. I observed that only I have this obsession with things lining up or being in their place. :-) It's a good mental health exercise I think!

Things can I do differently: cleaning Jack's cage

Weekly, I used to remove the top of the cage, put Jack out on a towel with celery or a carrot to munch and stand while cleaning out the bedding and waste. Sometimes I would wash the bottom out in the shower or sink because both have handheld sprayers.

Since my back surgery, I have lifting and bending restrictions so Jason has cleaned Jack's cage a few times, but I am
Rolling up on 5 weeks and as part of resuming my normal routine I figured out how I can clean the cage with good back etiquette.

I can sit in front of the cage in a chair and scoop out the bedding from the cage door. Jack can stay in the cage, and scoot around or sit on his balcony. He is used to me and will just hop around my hand and move around in there. He loves his cage and will probably prefer this to sitting in the open on a towel--looking out for a potential hawk or owl swooping in to get him in our living room!

Then, I can wipe out the floor decently and fill it up with handfuls of begging through the cage door. It's not as fast but it will save the back. When the cage needs to be washed, the kiddos can help lift off the top of the cage, one on each side, and lower it to the ground.

What's the same is I using a plastic shopping bag around my hand like a mitt, to pick up the yucky bedding and put it into up to two shopping bags. Always check the bags for holes first!