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!
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