As my illness progressed it became apparent that we were no longer going to be able to stay in our 3 bedroom, 2 bath, split level house. Those stairs were becoming impossible, and I couldn't maintain the house in the way that it should be. So, we moved to an "Over 55" apartment literally across the street from the hospital where my husband works. That cancelled a 30 minute commute one-way for Joe every day, a huge monthly gas bill, and wear and tear on his truck. This is a good area as far as everything we need is all around us EXCEPT the quality isn't good. I miss Bellevue.
Everything I needed was within a mile of my house - bank, doctor, movie theater, grocery store, hardware store, pharmacy, dentist, optometrist, pet store, veterinarian, etc., etc. Except for the severe lack of a good Italian restaurant, I was really happy with the quality of service and care that I got at all the stores and services in Bellevue. (Actually, restaurants of all descriptions are lacking in the service department in Bellevue, but there are enough good restaurants in Omaha to compensate for it.) I didn't realize just how happy I was with those stores and services until I moved away from them.
The service at ALL the nearby restaurants is just badly managed and poor quality. There are about 8 eateries of various types in this immediate area, and they all suck. The Target store lets me down on a regular basis. They either don't have what I need, or their God damned, poorly maintained, piece of shit electric scooters break down on me in the middle of the store. That's happened three times. So I sit there and wait for an employee to walk by so I can have them go get my rollator from the service desk so I can leave. The Baker's store often doesn't have what we need. The stock in Bellevue is different from the stock in Omaha. That means my poor husband has to go to FOUR OR FIVE different stores to get everything on the list. That's BULLSHIT. As I get sicker, the demands on his time and effort are increasing. He has to do all the shopping, cooking, laundry and errands now, with no help from me. And those stores aren't right near each other, either. We're talking miles of travel to go to the pharmacy, dry cleaners, bank, grocery store and vets (to pick up meds for Felix, the Cat). An errand list that used to take an hour and a half now takes three. Both of our banks were in the grocery store (or parking lot) of the Baker's that was literally at the end of our block in Bellevue. AND my bank was open until 7:00 PM M-F, plus Saturday and Sunday hours. I loved that. Having your bank open 7 days a week is wonderful. The only ATM that I know of around here is not a drive-thru. I have to get out and go in. The harder it is to walk, the more you love drive throughs.
Latest example> Every year the Bellevue Baker's gets in a pallet load of boxed Christmas cards, and builds a display at the front end of the seasonal items aisle. Every year for 22 years, I was able to get three boxes of 20 cards per box at a reasonable price, starting right after Halloween. The other day, I tried to go to Target to get Christmas cards. I got all bundled up (25 deg F) and drove my wheelchair in the snow toward Target. I got 3/4 of the way and had to turn back because of sidewalk construction. Joe offered to get them for me. He went to Baker's, Hy-Vee and Wal-mart...nothing. No boxed cards of any kind. He walked all over those stores, and even asked for help, and they just didn't have them. He found some small packages (6 cards for $6) and got five of those, but he was seriously tired and frustrated by the time he got home. I felt bad for him. Don't the people in north-central Omaha send Christmas cards? (Because I waited too long, it's too late to order them online - I tried.)
The only store that carried Pert-Plus dandruff control was Walgreens, and they stopped carrying it. I now get it online. The Bissell carpet shampooer that I bought online is normally carried in Target and Wal-mart stores, but not around here. Pepsi One was carried at Baker's and Hy-Vee, but PepsiCo discontinued it in Omaha. The only store that still carries a diet cola made with Splenda (Diet Coke) instead of Aspartame is Hy-Vee. Baker's, Bag 'n Save, and No Frills, Target and Wal-Mart no longer carry the Pepsi One, Diet Coke w/Slenda or the Diet RC Cola (made with Splenda.) The ShopKo doesn't have motorized carts. The Hy-Vee only has two, and they are crap. The ones at the Baker's on 90th aren't too bad. They've only died on me once, and that was while in line, so no biggie. I'm afraid to try the scooters at Wal-Mart. That store is waaaay too big for me to walk back if I get stranded. I tried a local dentist, but there was no handicapped access (old building), and I had to climb stairs. I won't be back. I didn't try a local Optometrist. I drove to Bellevue, something I'm no longer really safe doing. She wants me to come back for a procedure. There is snow on the ground. I'll have to get Joe to drive me. The people at the bank branch are rude, and their parking lot is stupid. Hard to get into or out of. The gas station in Bellevue where you can use your Baker's Plus fuel points had a car wash. The one in my new neighborhood does not. The car washes we do have around here don't work very well. I really loved the Bellevue Animal Hospital. Great people, lots of terrific vets, great care, 5 minutes from the house. The vet we've got now is 15 minutes away, and the are okay. There is one vet at the PetsMart near our house. They are not accredited, and I'm not all that sure that I want to try him.
And there is no wildlife. I miss my critters. There are a couple of hawks in the neighborhood that I see when I go out, but not from the apartment. I had bird feeders by my window, but they attracted mice, so the apartment manager made me get rid of them. No birds. These apartments are new, so all the trees are babies = no squirrels. I saw a deer run across 72nd Street once.
On the plus side, Carrabba's Italian Restaurant on 140th an Maple is now close enough to eat at regularly. They are awesome. It was a 45 minute drive from Bellevue. Still, I miss Bellevue.
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