This is the third in a series about my move to Barrhaven.
This room is still in progress but taking shape.
Close up of floral chandelier/centerpiece made of painted old metal.
This whole process of moving was interesting to me, as my previous memories of unpacking and settling in to a new home were all from when I was healthy (or much healthier). I didn’t have a map in my brain for making a home when doing things alone is so difficult, when I can’t run out and take care of things I need myself… (it’s also the 1st place I’ve had to myself since I was 18) so on the one hand I was impatient that things were taking so long, while on the other hand marveling how quickly I was able to accomplish these things, and how much healthier I am now, after the year at the summer cabin.
What is really amazing is that I didn’t experience a huge crash from moving here, or from being re-acquainted with my things from a place that had had some mold problems and which were then stored for over a year in a locker that was not entirely sealed at the top (except by plastic tarps that were hung up with black clips, and tarps we laid on the floor), nor was it climate controlled, as I discovered too late, hence the beginning mustiness on some of the textiles and clothes (luckily in double plastic bags) that had been stored on the floor, or they would not have been salvageable.
A painting by my great aunt Helmi reflected in a wall mirror.
I had reluctantly faced the possibility that my things might be contaminated to a point I’d need to get rid of almost all of them, which has happened to so many others with similar circumstances. Had they been so contaminated, they might have made this place a nightmare to be in too… I am so lucky that I am able to live with most of my old treasures, and have time to make decisions on the others.
The HRV (heat recovery ventilation) changes the air often, and some areas are specially vented, so some of the things that would otherwise be problematic, aren’t remaining in the air and affecting me as much. My activated carbon air purifiers are filtering out other residues. Every once in a while the HRV sucks in some “eau de skunk,” or even worse, some heavy fabric softener fumes. I’ve had a few bad experiences with that, but fortunately, those exposures are no longer life threatening, and I’m recovering much faster from them!
I’m now also able to drive to one store 5 minutes away to pick up rice milk, rice cakes and cereal by the case as soon as it arrives, where they bring it outside where I pay, and they even take it to my car for me. I will have to find someone to fill the car up with gas very soon if I am to continue driving it. I still haven’t found sources for some of the supplements I need, and some foods are only available from stores where they get saturated with incense, so I will have to see what happens without them. I don’t want to trouble people in Toronto to mail some of them to me, but I might have to. The closest Natural Foods Coop group wasn’t interested in having me join as a member when I contacted them from the cabin, and I am also still trying to find a way to get safe toilet paper, and am going to be desperate soon!
I also still need to get a new bed. My old one is not safe for me to sleep on as it is, the base would not fit up the stairs anyway, and it’s barely safe enough to have in the living room. Without the HRV it would have to go, but when I can detox some heavy covers for it, it should be ok as a couch.
My TV cabinet. Some day I'll hook it up to the VCR and plug them both in! Right now it's supporting my sound system.
I did realize last week that the sheet of mylar I was using as a bedroom curtain might be a problem, so I took it down and covered the window with bbq foil. That evening the room seemed fresher when I went to bed, and in the morning it didn’t hurt as much to go down the stairs. The 2nd morning much more of my fibromyalgia pain was gone, making the stairs so much easier! I’d been struggling every day for almost 2 months with those stairs, something in the air from the bad side of the mylar was affecting me like that! Last year there was a change in the product, one side is still ok, but the other was not. I usually sealed it somehow, but I kind of hoped that since it was against the window and wall, it wouldn’t be a problem. A nagging feeling about it got stronger once I’d unpacked the books, and what a difference it made! I have 2 sheets bad side to bad side as a shower curtain until I have something else I can use, so will probably see another improvement when that is successfully addressed.
To be continued…
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 