I'm certainly not looking forward to the move! I've been a city girl for most of my life and I like living in the city. The newer suburbs are certainly not "city" - I will miss being within walking distance of even a few stores, especially without a car.
My daughter may not like it, but I reserve the right to try it out and then move back to civilization if I want to.
I don't know what it is or where I caught it - I'm only around Jeannie and her family and none of them is sick. I haven't been able to talk much today - on the verge of laryngitis! Of course I have no one to talk to, except Rocky.
Other than the "almost-laryngitis" I'm not feeling too bad. Except that last night it seemed like my ankles were a bit swollen, and they haven't gone down yet! I should see a doctor, but the medical people's first choice is a tele-visit via the computer. Worthless!
I've been torn lately by the wish that I had stayed where I was rather than move out to live in the house of a friend of Jeannie's. The house isn't bad except that I definitely don't care for the neighborhood, and have been feeling rotten since I've moved here. I believe I am getting worse by the week! Every time I think I am ready to let it all go and check out of this life, I look at my beautiful dog. No one that I know of would want him. Most people I know train their dogs as if they were Army recruits, and lord help them if they don't remember all the rules. I have always let a dog be a dog, as long as they follow my basic rules and are friendly. I wish I could have gotten him when I lived by myself and not close to any family - at least for the first couple of months. Then I could have have started him out "my way" instead of having several people giving him instructions. We live and learn, don't we! He is a beautiful dog, with a beautiful personality and temperament. I shudder to think of what will happen to him when I'm gone.
Enough of being a Debbie Downer! Let's see, there must be something positive. In just another week (actually 10 days) Donald and Jeannie will complete the process of buying the house and taking possession. Not sure how the moving of furniture, etc. is going to go, but I think it will be at the end of that week. I can't wait to get my living room furniture back and use it again. I have the dining table & chairs here, as well as my bed and a couple of other pieces. I've been using a chest of drawers that was part of my ex's bedroom from the mid-1950's! I'm glad to have had it. Jeannie and Steve think I should get some sort of thing that can hang in the big wide closet, that will hold my clothes so I won't need a chest of drawers. I guess that holds true as well for a dresser, but I will get myself a nice full-length mirror to hang in my room (or maybe on the back of the door). And if I decide I want a piece of furniture instead of squirreling my things away in a closet, then I think I will just do what I like!
I will have my own private patio off my bedroom and have been looking (on the internet) for nice patio furniture. I will need to shop in person for it though, and make sure it will fit my patio but not make it too crowded.
I'm hoping I can make an attitude adjustment when we move, and hopefully I can roll with the punches a bit easier than I have lately. I've lived on my own and by myself for too long to be happy with being advised what I should and shouldn't do now.
I just went back and re-read a few posts at the beginning of my blog. I had just sold my beautiful place in North Carolina and bought a 5th wheel, and I was ready to set out on an adventure. My dogs and I drove all over the country, meeting lots of people, seeing lots of sights, and I suppose I don't regret it. Sometimes I look back and wonder where I'd be today if I had kept a more normal lifestyle living in one place for a while. But you can't go back, so here I am, and I'm glad I began blogging at the beginning of my last journey.
The supreme benefit of the blog is the fact that it has connected me with hundreds of people I would never have been able to meet and/or correspond with, or even just to read so many wonderful blogs out there. Blogging, commenting, maybe a meeting here and there when I was traveling, has opened a world to me that I would never have known otherwise. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the kindness and encouragement you've shown me throughout the years.
I will have to admit that once I wrote the first post I was hooked forever! Now, I don't often have much to say but I'm compelled to say something! I keep telling myself to quit now, but something comes along that I want to write about, and so it goes. I'm anxious to move into the new house in less than 3 weeks from now, and you will probably tire of hearing about it! I'm anxious to take some photos of it. I normally ask Donald to take photos for me, but I'm thinking about buying a camera, or else a cell phone that takes good pictures. I prefer a camera, because to tell the truth, I DETEST cell phones!
Since I started writing this post I keep thinking of a scene on my "maiden voyage" from New York to California - a long way to drive hauling a 35' fifth wheel behind! I was driving through Los Angeles and recall having to keep veering off to yet another section of freeway, in all that traffic. The stories you might hear about L.A. traffic don't adequately describe the horror of it! But I drove bravely on and arrived later that day at my brother's house in Livermore, CA (about halfway between L.A. and Sacramento). A lot of family were already there and waiting for me, and I had to have one of the guys get that huge thing off the street and into a vacant lot nearby! I never did master backing up!
I decided to take Rocky for a short walk, but we didn't stay out long. He's forgotten how to walk on a leash; he drove me crazy going from one side of the street to the other and never walking in a straight line. I can understand however, as he hasn't been out except for the small back yard, in some time. I'll have to work on him (and me) in the coming weeks and hope we both benefit from walking in the new neighborhood.
I might even hire a dog trainer to help me be able to control him better - my vision is too poor to have to walk a dog who wants to stop to smell the flowers, the rocks, tree roots, fireplugs, etc. He had me going from one side of the street to the other, and with my age, poor eyesight, lack of good balance, and lack of patience, it is a recipe for disaster. I do want him to enjoy the walk however, and it's a toss up between the two of us - it's only fair that he can explore his surroundings and all the smells left by dogs who have passed this way. If only he could stay on one side of the street!
This is an unfriendly neighborhood, and I will be glad to move out of it and to our new place. I always say hello to everyone I meet when out for a walk, and have never once had a similar acknowledgement from anyone around here. It's like I'm invisible! What makes people like that. They will look me straight in the eye and not give any indication that they heard me or want to return my greeting if they did hear. It's not just a few people - absolutely no one I've ever met in this area has returned a greeting or even acknowledged me in any way. And I've heard from the grapevine that this has always been true of the area.
My granddaughter Quinn, (Steve's daughter) is selling girl scout cookies. Of course I will do my best to support my grandchildren and a worthy cause, and just a little bit because I have a sweet tooth! I ordered $75 worth of girl scout cookies! To be fair, they have gone up in price since my daughter sold them when she was a kid, but they are now $5 a box! I bought the varieties I absolutely love, and can't wait to get them and open a box. Heavenly!
I'm so anxious to move, and am making lists of things I would like to buy for my space. I already have most of what I need, but a few new items will cheer me up and make my space more inviting! Of course at the top of my list is a new broom. You never take an old broom to a new house! I can't remember what old gypsy woman taught me that, but I always remember!
I'm also going to buy a new bedspread as I'm using the comforter Jeannie bought me when I lived in Ireland. I will fold it up and put it in Rocky's bed so he can be comfy!
I don't anticipate the hassle of moving, but I'm sure ready to do it!
Don't hold me to that, however, because once I start writing I don't always know when to stop!
I wanted to go shopping tonight with Jeannie & the girls, but I just couldn't leave Rocky here by himself. He has moved with us a couple of times recently, and I'm sure he knows we will be moving again. That has to make a pet a little nervous, and I'm certain that Rocky knows we aren't settled down yet. He must be concerned that he will be included in our plans, and that we won't go off and leave him. I really don't know if that is an issue, but it seems to me that it would be on his mind.
To tell the truth, as much as I would love to get out and go shopping, I am not up to anything but a quick trip now and then. So I decided to stay here and let the girls do their thing! And I'm relaxing on my bed, with my beautiful sweet dog snoozing beside me!
In just about 2 weeks Jeannie and Donald will sign the final papers on the house, and I think we will have to wait a few days for the processing of those papers, but move-in time is getting close. I have such mixed emotions about it all -
On the one hand it will be nice to have a new space all my own (except that I don't own it in any way).
On the other hand, I'm so tired of moving and living out of boxes - not even having a clue where some things are. I believe that a lot of my belongings are in storage along with my furniture. And it will be so nice to finally have my own furniture again. It is still relatively "new" to me, about 2 yrs old. For the last few months I've been using a four-drawer chest of drawers that belonged to my ex-husband. It was purchased in the mid-50's, and I think we still have the entire bedroom set. Jeannie certainly isn't sentimental and the style is definitely mid-50's, but I have been delighted to be able to use some of it over the years, mostly in a spare bedroom. She will get rid of it in a heartbeat. I can't let it bother me because I will take my own belongings into my own private space, and hope it all works out in an agreeable manner. I absolutely have detested conflict all my life, so I've developed the ability to retain my own self and my beliefs. I just keep my mouth shut and hold on to my own thoughts, wants, desires, and dislikes. I've mostly done that my whole life, and in my own mind, I've come out a winner. And that is what counts - not what anyone else thinks of me!
After not feeling well the past couple of weeks, I think I'm beginning to snap back. I would really like to see my doctor, but in these days I am lucky to be offered a "video visit", which is near worthless to me.
Donald took me to Costco last week and I can't remember when I've enjoyed shopping more! They had a sale on houseplants and I bought a 3-pack. I don't know what two of the plants are, but the third is a pothos or similar. I am intrigued by one of them - it has dark green (almost black) lower leaves, becoming a lighter green at the top half of the plant, and those leaves are green with a yellow section runing up the middle. I will try to remember to have Donald take a photo and will post it next time I blog. The other plant has slender yellow leaves with a green "stripe" running up the middle. The top of my chest of drawers is completely covered with plants, including a snake plant that really needs to be divided. I think that is my favorite plant, along with a gorgeous spider plant I have on top of a bookshelf. Both plants are said to be air purifiers, taking in the toxins in the air and returning clean air to the room. I like that idea!
That's because I'm so graceful! (Not!)
I'm bored to tears this evening and decided to open a bottle of wine. It has a huge cork in it and I couldn't even begin to get it out. So I thought I would settle for a scotch and water, and fixed myself a nice drink. Somehow, when I got it back to my room, I spilled some. I don't know what I did, but I ended up spilling some more until the glass was entirely emptied on my bedroom floor!
I was really irritated because I only had a sip of the drink, but I had to mop that mess up which wasn't easy as it had run across a big section of the hardwood floor! I got that done, but then I had an empty glass on hand, and I wanted that drink more than ever at this point. So I carefully mixed another scotch and water and it is now sitting on my bedside table. I feel like I really want a nice long sip of that drink, and am a bit regretful that I didn't make it any stronger than I did. I usually have a weak drink, and it's just as well!
I think we have about 3 weeks until the big move, and while I'm ready to leave the place I'm in now, I don't know that I want to move out to the middle of nowhere. I'd love to just go back to Rancho Cordova! I feel so isolated, and if I could get some energy back so that I could walk Rocky every day, it would help both of us. I feel so bad for him, but I just don't have the energy to walk anywhere. Maybe tomorrow I will force myself!
In yesterday's post I included part of an email I received from True Leaf Market, in which they referred to "Taylor, the warehouse cat". There was a link to a short clip about Taylor, and yes, there is absolutely a warehouse cat at True Leaf Market. Here is the link in case you'd like to see him and hear about his job as a warehouse cat!
https://www.trueleafmarket.com/blogs/articles/taylor-the-warehouse-cat
I order all my gardening supplies from True Leaf Market, and not only do they have everything I want at great prices, they have the best folks working there! I received this message from them today, so you will see why I love them!
Your order is on the way to you. Track your shipment (below) to see the delivery status.
When your seeds were selected for your order, many of them were so overcome with emotion, they had to fight to hold back tears of joy (they did not want to germinate themselves prematurely, of course).
Under the scrupulous supervision of our Quality Control Officer, Taylor the Warehouse Cat, your seeds were carefully picked, lovingly packed, and meticulously inspected. Your order is now on the truck, on its way to you."
See what I mean? That's trueleafmarket.com in case you'd like to see their website. I've just ordered several varieties of tomato seeds, and can't wait to get them started. It will be all I can do to hold off until I am in the new house (approx. 4 weeks). I want to plant them in the ground where they will stay and hopefully give me lots of beautiful tomatoes!
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We have about one more month until we can move into the new house. I'm excited to see my furniture that is now in storage, and actually be able to use it again. Most of it was purchased about two years ago, so it will seem like new to me!
On the other hand, I absolutely dread having to move again. Even though my furniture and belongings are in storage, it is going to be difficult to have to deal with yet another move. I ought to just move to an old folks home and stay there for the remainder of my time - never move again! Believe me, I've thought seriously about it.
I was all set to have to buy a new watch, but I found the one I lost. I definitely need to get a new watch band because part of the clasp has broken off and it will soon fall off my arm again.
But I will have to buy a new phone. I want to get another Jitterbug phone, which was the best phone I ever had. I'm having trouble with my current phone as I have trouble reading anything on it unless I stare at the screen for a while. I rarely use a phone these days, but feel safer having one.
I am so ready to be in my own space and am losing patience. I feel confined to my bedroom here, which is where I stay most of the time. The girls don't have their own room and sleep on a pull-out sofa in the living room, so I try to stay out of their space. I'm sure we will all be glad to get into our own place, and I'm looking forward to posting pictures of my area. I will have a large area consisting of living room, leading to dining area, and then to the kitchen space. My bedroom will be off to itself leading to a patio in the back yard area. If I get to see it again before we move, I will be sure to post photos of my space. I don't think I will need any new furniture, especially since I bought mostly new items when I moved into my rental two years ago. To tell the truth, I don't remember exactly what I have as much of it has been in storage for a while.
The back yard will be completely fenced and is huge, so Rocky and Tito will have plenty of space to run. I just hope I have enough stamina to take Rocky for a walk every day. As is true of so much of Sacramento, there are no sidewalks so I will probably have to walk him in the street. There shouldn't be much traffic though.
Speaking of Rocky, he somehow got out the door a couple of days ago and made great use of his newly found freedom. There was no catching him until he decided to be caught, and he led Jeannie & the girls on a merry chase! I knew he would come back when he ran out his taste of freedom, and he did. But until he wanted to come back there was no catching him! I sort of envied him as there are times when I'd love to run free of all the crap in my life these days, and people telling me what to do! At least I can enjoy a scotch & water in the evening and not think about the cares of the day. I feel like the last couple of years of my life have been such a waste - I can't go anywhere I want, when I want, or do what I want to do. The only satisfaction I have is that I still have my mind (which I think is in pretty good shape!), and while I never did like to argue, I know the score and I definitely don't like it! As long as I know that nobody can "put anything over on me", I don't care if anyone thinks they can.
It is ironic to me that for my entire life, up to now, I knew what I wanted to to and I did mostly what I wanted to do - I think I had pretty good control. I've been letting go of the control, which makes it a little easier to age, but in my mind I will always know what is right for me.
When it comes right down to it, I've had a wonderful life: great family - I come from a large family and two wonderful loving parents; seven siblings and lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins. My siblings are the "cream of the crop", and while we don't all agree on every issue, we love each other dearly and have a lifetime of wonderful memories.
I have no regrets and look forward to my future!
Thinking about it, I'm not sure how I feel about moving into someone else's new home. I guess as long as I can choose how I want to arrange my space, and use my own furnishings, it might work. I have little or no privacy here, so it will probably be an improvement.
Where did the years go? I've always been self-sufficient and except for not being able to drive, I am still relatively self-sufficient. I'm not sure I want to be out in the boondocks rather than in city limits, but no one really asked me what I want nor does anyone care about how I might feel.
I'm still financially independent, so if it doesn't work for me I will hire a mover to transfer my belongings back to a small apartment within the city limits.
A few minutes ago I rammed the top of my head into an open cabinet door, which may explain my feelings right about now. It's not hurting too badly except I can't touch the big lump on top of my head, but I don't think my awareness has changed for the worse. If it wasn't so early in the afternoon I would pour myself a stiff scotch & water, but I'd rather wait until a more reasonable time later on. By the way, I don't drink much and never to the point that it makes me feel different, so I don't worry about a weak drink most evenings. The "stiff scotch & water" is just a joke. In fact, the way my life is currently going, I'm surprised at how little I drink!!!
I was talking with my daughter this evening about the status of our new house, and I found myself energized and ready to move into it. I think we have about 4-6 weeks until it's ready - maybe more, depending on availability of supplies and workers. The men working on the house have really been great - they have worked many weekends including Sundays to get the house built and ready to move in. I'm wondering if they get a bonus for finishing it early, and I certainly hope they do. The company is Lennar Builders, and I believe they are all over the U.S., and I'm happy with our experience so far.
I am still deciding what I want to buy for my new living quarters. My furniture is relatively new (about 2 yrs old) and will look great in the new space, and I will treat myself to lovely new patio furniture. But I'm really not anxious to begin another move so close to the last one or two moves! I'm getting to be too old to keep doing this! I can only imagine what must be going through Rocky's doggie mind!
I'm going to try to do just that, because I know my attitude has a lot to do with my lack of energy and hopefulness. Some things in life are just negative, but I hope to concentrate more on the positive from now on.
My oldest granddaughter, Jeannie's daughter Ara, left in the wee hours of this morning to drive back to her home in Missouri. I will miss her and have really enjoyed having her around. She brought her little dog with her, and the three pups have had a wonderful time bouncing around with each other. (Not that I can really call Rocky a "pup"!) . She is going to come back to help us move into our new house, which should be within a month or two!
I have gone an entire year now without having my hair cut, and need to decide what to do about it. It's so easy to just pull back and tie up, and if I get it cut short then it will need to be trimmed regularly. I'm probably way too old to be wearing my hair so long!
I believe we might be able to move into our house a week or so earlier than predicted, and I certainly hope so. I will truly enjoy selecting things for my quarters that I need and/or want. I'm going to try to get by with the furniture and accessories I already have, and enjoy picking out window coverings and maybe get a new bedspread with matching drapes.
Speaking of bedspreads, my daughter sent me the quilted spread I currently use when I was living in Ireland in the early 2000's! I loved it then and love it even now that it is showing signs of wear, to say nothing of a couple of chewed spots from a certain animal whose name I won't disclose! So I may just get coverings for the window and sliding glass door to the patio. I'm also going to buy new patio furniture, but other than that I'm pretty satisfied with what I have and just need a bit of something new.
Today is such a hazy day and makes the windows look like they need washing. I think it's just the moisture in the air although it's not raining yet. I wish I could drum up some energy, but so far .....
It's been the worst year for my blog, I think. I just don't have much to write about these days. My health is deteriorating and my life is so uneventful and unexciting that there is nothing worth mentioning.
Here I am in the house belonging to Jeannie's friend, and I mostly stay in my small room. I'm lucky to have a room - the girls have their things in the living room and sleep on a pull-out couch! Jeannie has the other bedroom. Donald and one of the girls usually stay at his mother's house - the girls alternate from time to time. Ara has been visiting, so we have three dogs in the house, who spend more time in my room than anywhere else, I think. Especially Tito - he likes me, while Rocky mostly ignores me these days.
Our new house seems to be coming along at a rapid pace, and we might be able to move in a month earlier than we thought. I certainly hope so, and look forward to using my own living room furniture, my own kitchen items & dining table, etc. I've been looking online to find a nice patio set - just a couple of chairs, maybe a chaise lounge & a small table. I really need to shop at a couple of stores and see what is available and compare everything. My patio will be right off my bedroom, so that is where I will spend my mornings drinking coffee and watching the birds! (I think I've written this before, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating. Old age, you know!)
I have seen many New Years roll around and have enjoyed them for the most part. This one has a different feel, and I don't think I like it as much as I used to. I wish all the best to you in the coming year.
After I published this post, I gave each of the 3 dogs a treat, but I set a special one aside for Rocky. They all know it's there, and they are sitting in that "good dog" pose just looking and waiting. It reminded me, wasn't there a play years ago called "Their Eyes Were Watching God"? It may have been a book or a movie, but I can't remember anything except the catchy title. So the dogs have that look of waiting for God to drop a treat in front of them!
I hope this works and you can see the photo. Please let me know if it doesn't show up.
https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-us/DisplayMessage?ws_popup=true&ws_suite=true
So far I haven't been able to test it out, and I don't know what is wrong. I'm not sure if the problem is me or if it's with blogger, but I'm so tired of fighting with the darned program! I'm about ready to quit blogging - I think I've come to the end of the road.
Some folks just don't know when to stop!
Sorry, but I can't seem to adjust the spacing of this paragraph and photo. Is it blogger that has changed, or is it me that doesn't remember how to do anything!
I watched the celebration in NYC, or at least what I thought was going to be the ball dropping in NYC, at 9pm here in CA. I think I must have watched something else though, because it sure didn't look like what I've always seen in New York. I wouldn't expect much this year, so I really wasn't shocked or disappointed!
I certainly hope we have a decent year ahead, better than the one we're leaving behind. This hasn't been one of my better holiday seasons, but maybe things will look up in 2022. What in the world has happened to New Year's Eve!
At any rate, I wish all my readers a good year to come.
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