My hospice volunteer training finally ended last week after ten sessions. Obviously this was not the most mirth inspiring time I've ever spent, and one could argue that since I actually used to work as a hospice nurse it was a waste of time. The very last day, though, we undertook a deeply powerful yet emotionally wrenching exercise which certainly was not a waste of anyone's time. I plan to write about it, but not today.
Today I will celebrate laughter by posting the link to Hyperbole and a Half so you can experience some of the most humorous writing and illustrating that I've seen for a while. The post I linked directly to reminded me of my moving experience with my two cats this past spring and had me laughing for twenty minutes straight! Do read and enjoy!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Writing Life During Unsettled Times
“Every word on your blog is not a word in your book,” says Sherman Alexie (Writer’s Digest, Sept 2010, p. 36). That could be why I have ignored my blog for so long--those who are my Facebook friends know that I took an online creative writing class over the summer. Due in large part to the encouragement of my instructor, I honestly can say I have a work in progress--my book. Written in third person limited, which is really hard to stick with, the protagonist is a middle aged college professor at the turn of the twentieth century whose checkered past collides with his genteel and stable present. This character and those who move in his orbit have been in my mind for at least ten years and have been the subject of many a musing on long car trips. I decided to use some of the characters for projects in my class. The tales got such rave receptions that I was compelled to share the story of my protagonist and by default, the stories of those important to him as seen through his eyes. One character's story has gotten incredibly meaty and I may spin her off into her own book.
Some days, though, I don’t want to tell the story of my protagonist. I want to tell my own story, the writing of the novel of my life. In that work, I wish to answer questions such as where I am going to live? How will I get there, and when? My book is important, but its success is predicated on how the rest of my life and its distractions play out.
In my last post, I said when I assumed that Taciturn wanted to move as well, I was wrong. I took his ennui, his reluctance to get involved with life outside of our house as a sign he was no longer happy where we lived either. When he told me he did not want to live in Vermont, he mentioned that when he realized that I needed to move, he started weaning himself away from the things he enjoyed doing in the Black Hills so he would not miss them so much. He did not tell me what he was doing, and I missed the signs totally. Looking back, we either talked past each other about moving, assumed many things, or didn’t talk at all.
Now we are in the same situation we were in while in South Dakota, although now he is the one who needs to move. Since our SD house did not sell, he would like to go back. But, he had put it on the market to rent, and when it did not rent right away, assumed it would never rent and started making arrangements to move back into it. Imagine his surprise when someone did sign a year long lease! He was so certain it would not rent out that he did not take it off of the market.
Having someone move into the South Dakota house is a blessing in that it gives us time to think through and talk about what to do. He knows I refuse to live full time in South Dakota. We know many people who own two homes. We’ve spoken off and on for years about living in St. Louis, a city to which we both have deep individual ties as well as ties as a couple. That may be the answer to our dilemma--keep the rural South Dakota house and live there part time, and buy a small city house in St. Louis for the rest of the time.
If we do want to buy a city house in St. Louis, then we have to get the house we just purchased into shape to sell. Two painters have come out to estimate the job (though haven't gotten back with numbers), and I plan to call another. Also, real estate moves slowly here. In order to turn it over quickly, we will have to underprice it and just accept that we will take a very expensive bath.
With all of this stress on my mind, it is difficult enough to stay present in my own life, let alone live another person’s as I write. To go back to Sherman Alexie, if I had tried to write words in my book, I think I would not have written a single word today. Please keep us in your prayers and good thoughts as we work toward a decision that both of us can accept.
Some days, though, I don’t want to tell the story of my protagonist. I want to tell my own story, the writing of the novel of my life. In that work, I wish to answer questions such as where I am going to live? How will I get there, and when? My book is important, but its success is predicated on how the rest of my life and its distractions play out.
In my last post, I said when I assumed that Taciturn wanted to move as well, I was wrong. I took his ennui, his reluctance to get involved with life outside of our house as a sign he was no longer happy where we lived either. When he told me he did not want to live in Vermont, he mentioned that when he realized that I needed to move, he started weaning himself away from the things he enjoyed doing in the Black Hills so he would not miss them so much. He did not tell me what he was doing, and I missed the signs totally. Looking back, we either talked past each other about moving, assumed many things, or didn’t talk at all.
Now we are in the same situation we were in while in South Dakota, although now he is the one who needs to move. Since our SD house did not sell, he would like to go back. But, he had put it on the market to rent, and when it did not rent right away, assumed it would never rent and started making arrangements to move back into it. Imagine his surprise when someone did sign a year long lease! He was so certain it would not rent out that he did not take it off of the market.
Having someone move into the South Dakota house is a blessing in that it gives us time to think through and talk about what to do. He knows I refuse to live full time in South Dakota. We know many people who own two homes. We’ve spoken off and on for years about living in St. Louis, a city to which we both have deep individual ties as well as ties as a couple. That may be the answer to our dilemma--keep the rural South Dakota house and live there part time, and buy a small city house in St. Louis for the rest of the time.
If we do want to buy a city house in St. Louis, then we have to get the house we just purchased into shape to sell. Two painters have come out to estimate the job (though haven't gotten back with numbers), and I plan to call another. Also, real estate moves slowly here. In order to turn it over quickly, we will have to underprice it and just accept that we will take a very expensive bath.
With all of this stress on my mind, it is difficult enough to stay present in my own life, let alone live another person’s as I write. To go back to Sherman Alexie, if I had tried to write words in my book, I think I would not have written a single word today. Please keep us in your prayers and good thoughts as we work toward a decision that both of us can accept.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Vermont Adventure, So Far
(Written two days ago. It is pouring rain at present.)
The sun just peeked out from behind the clouds to shine on the mountain for the first time in days. The weatherman last night announced that this was the 4th wettest October on record in the Champlain Valley, the region of Vermont in which I live. Only Son’s daughter was here on a long awaited visit last week; it rained every other day while she was here. But to look out of the window onto the valley and see the layers of cloud cover over the lake and the lower areas was, and is, magnificent. Even Granddaughter was struck by the loveliness.
Yet as I type this, peering on occasion through the window to see faded autumnal colors against a brilliant blue sky, I know that I won’t see many of these Vermont Octobers.
Taciturn has decided that although he likes Vermont, it is as a place to vacation and not as a place to live. He doesn’t feel as if it is home--his home. We have been here all of eight entire months and have not yet completed unpacking. But his decision is made.
Several unfortunate things have happened that I’m sure influenced his decision. One was the house we bought. We were had, no way around it. Structurally it is more sound than not. But we realized after closing that there was a reason the art work all remained on the wall until the last minute, etc. The furniture and the art were arranged to hide a multitude of cosmetic sins such as large carpet stains, holes in walls, things like that. We paid major money for a secret fixer upper. Of course we purchased the house from a real estate lawyer, so no point in attempting to recoup anything.
Soon we realized that many of the windows did not close. The inspector told us some of the windows would need to be replaced, but after we moved in it was obvious most of them needed to be replaced. Kissed one full week and many, many thousands of dollars good bye.
The summer this year was extraordinarily hot. Living in northern New England, we did not think we would need an air conditioned house. Most houses aren’t air conditioned anyway. Taciturn is very susceptible to heat and suffered enormously. We inherited a room sized portable a/c unit, but it didn’t do the job. We purchased another, larger unit but needed to install a vent hole in the wall; we hired a fellow who had worked for the previous owner to do that for us. He agreed to the job--but never came to do the work. Meanwhile, at my new parish, I met a construction worker. He ended up doing the job after a few weeks of suffering while we waited for the first fellow.
Other things happened, but the biggest reason Taciturn decided that Vermont was not meant to be his home was that the house in South Dakota, the big house with all new appliances and newly painted walls that he always loved, did not sell. Taciturn, while not a religious man, began to consider maybe God did not mean for it to sell so again it could be his home. He said nothing to me about this gnawing inside of him.
As Taciturn mused, I threw myself into creating a life. I joined a health club and took up spinning. Saturday mornings I walked into town and bought a weeks’ worth of veggies at the farmers’ market. I had coffee with friends. Writers’ workshops were easy to attend as so many were close. Many Episcopal churches are in the area and I visited until I found a lovely small parish in which the people love each other as a real family. I even was invited to write an essay describing the role of the local alternative newspaper in our decision to move. Imagine my amazement when my essay was published on its own page!
Yet it seemed the more I threw myself into this new life, the more my husband backed away. The day after I submitted the essay to the alternative newspaper, he announced the epiphany that Vermont never could be his home. I had noticed that he did not seem to engage in life here, but he did not engage in life in South Dakota, either. There I was out of the house and busy all of the time but wanted to move away. He said he wanted to be there but seldom left the house. While still in South Dakota, I took that ennui to mean he really wanted to move away also.
Turned out I was very wrong.
More to come...
The sun just peeked out from behind the clouds to shine on the mountain for the first time in days. The weatherman last night announced that this was the 4th wettest October on record in the Champlain Valley, the region of Vermont in which I live. Only Son’s daughter was here on a long awaited visit last week; it rained every other day while she was here. But to look out of the window onto the valley and see the layers of cloud cover over the lake and the lower areas was, and is, magnificent. Even Granddaughter was struck by the loveliness.
Yet as I type this, peering on occasion through the window to see faded autumnal colors against a brilliant blue sky, I know that I won’t see many of these Vermont Octobers.
Taciturn has decided that although he likes Vermont, it is as a place to vacation and not as a place to live. He doesn’t feel as if it is home--his home. We have been here all of eight entire months and have not yet completed unpacking. But his decision is made.
Several unfortunate things have happened that I’m sure influenced his decision. One was the house we bought. We were had, no way around it. Structurally it is more sound than not. But we realized after closing that there was a reason the art work all remained on the wall until the last minute, etc. The furniture and the art were arranged to hide a multitude of cosmetic sins such as large carpet stains, holes in walls, things like that. We paid major money for a secret fixer upper. Of course we purchased the house from a real estate lawyer, so no point in attempting to recoup anything.
Soon we realized that many of the windows did not close. The inspector told us some of the windows would need to be replaced, but after we moved in it was obvious most of them needed to be replaced. Kissed one full week and many, many thousands of dollars good bye.
The summer this year was extraordinarily hot. Living in northern New England, we did not think we would need an air conditioned house. Most houses aren’t air conditioned anyway. Taciturn is very susceptible to heat and suffered enormously. We inherited a room sized portable a/c unit, but it didn’t do the job. We purchased another, larger unit but needed to install a vent hole in the wall; we hired a fellow who had worked for the previous owner to do that for us. He agreed to the job--but never came to do the work. Meanwhile, at my new parish, I met a construction worker. He ended up doing the job after a few weeks of suffering while we waited for the first fellow.
Other things happened, but the biggest reason Taciturn decided that Vermont was not meant to be his home was that the house in South Dakota, the big house with all new appliances and newly painted walls that he always loved, did not sell. Taciturn, while not a religious man, began to consider maybe God did not mean for it to sell so again it could be his home. He said nothing to me about this gnawing inside of him.
As Taciturn mused, I threw myself into creating a life. I joined a health club and took up spinning. Saturday mornings I walked into town and bought a weeks’ worth of veggies at the farmers’ market. I had coffee with friends. Writers’ workshops were easy to attend as so many were close. Many Episcopal churches are in the area and I visited until I found a lovely small parish in which the people love each other as a real family. I even was invited to write an essay describing the role of the local alternative newspaper in our decision to move. Imagine my amazement when my essay was published on its own page!
Yet it seemed the more I threw myself into this new life, the more my husband backed away. The day after I submitted the essay to the alternative newspaper, he announced the epiphany that Vermont never could be his home. I had noticed that he did not seem to engage in life here, but he did not engage in life in South Dakota, either. There I was out of the house and busy all of the time but wanted to move away. He said he wanted to be there but seldom left the house. While still in South Dakota, I took that ennui to mean he really wanted to move away also.
Turned out I was very wrong.
More to come...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
More House News
The long and the short of the story is that we are not moving into the house cited in my last post. The home inspector came to inspect it and there were major water issues that could have been dealt with, but we did not want to. Water is such a force of nature. Water always wins. The yard did not drain well, the sump pump was "jury-rigged", the washer and laundry tub drained into the sump pump. Several electrical safety problems existed as well. The longer we were with the home inspector, the sicker my stomach got.
After a couple of days of thought, we decided to take the contingency we had in the contract and back out.
But, there was a house we always had in our back pocket. I've had my eye on it since it came on the market, via Realtor.com. We gasped when we went for a showing, it was so wonderful. The reason we did not snatch it up when we first saw it was that Taciturn did not think he wanted to live in the town in which it was located. As time went on, though, he realized what I had known all along--the town is a pretty special place. I think that realization helped him to come to the decision along with me to cancel the first home contract. So the same day we cancelled the first contract, we put an offer on the other house. After a few rounds of negotiation--the seller is a lawyer--mainly over occupancy date, we signed a contract on the house we have viewed almost as a dream house for months. The kitchen has everything I've ever wanted in one. Truly it was built for a cook. The entire front of the house has clear views of the Adirondacks across the lake in New York state, yet most of the large lot is wooded. It is a lovely home by a quintessential Vermont town. I can roll out of bed in the morning and walk a block and a half into town, then another couple of blocks to the bakery for a bagel. The New Haven River runs along Main Street. Water, mountains, view, walkable town--there you have it.
BUT--the home inspection looms next week. If that is ok, we press. Even if it is ok, we can't move in until mid-June. But anyway, the time will pass. After the home inspection, I'll post some photos.
After a couple of days of thought, we decided to take the contingency we had in the contract and back out.
But, there was a house we always had in our back pocket. I've had my eye on it since it came on the market, via Realtor.com. We gasped when we went for a showing, it was so wonderful. The reason we did not snatch it up when we first saw it was that Taciturn did not think he wanted to live in the town in which it was located. As time went on, though, he realized what I had known all along--the town is a pretty special place. I think that realization helped him to come to the decision along with me to cancel the first home contract. So the same day we cancelled the first contract, we put an offer on the other house. After a few rounds of negotiation--the seller is a lawyer--mainly over occupancy date, we signed a contract on the house we have viewed almost as a dream house for months. The kitchen has everything I've ever wanted in one. Truly it was built for a cook. The entire front of the house has clear views of the Adirondacks across the lake in New York state, yet most of the large lot is wooded. It is a lovely home by a quintessential Vermont town. I can roll out of bed in the morning and walk a block and a half into town, then another couple of blocks to the bakery for a bagel. The New Haven River runs along Main Street. Water, mountains, view, walkable town--there you have it.
BUT--the home inspection looms next week. If that is ok, we press. Even if it is ok, we can't move in until mid-June. But anyway, the time will pass. After the home inspection, I'll post some photos.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
House News
Last Wednesday Taciturn and I viewed four houses. One was the home of a smoker and the carpets were old and markedly filthy; another was way too small; one was very expensive yet needed extensive remodeling; the very last was breathtaking. It was the the third least expensive, immaculate, with custom draperies and other nice touches included. We went back to see it on Friday and placed an offer. We found out we were not the only ones enraptured by the house; another couple had placed an offer. We waited most of the day Saturday, then in the late afternoon, after a bit of dealing on the final price, learned the house was ours! Hurray!We had partially started the financing process, and today T called to let our mortgage company know we had signed a contract on a house. After that, it only took 20 minutes for them to issue a loan on the condition we send in a few documents. That was it. Unless there are other snafus, we should be able to close before May.
The town in which we will live is the same town where the RevDrMom lived prior to seminary. On Palm Sunday I visited her former parish and liked it very much. Small world.
On the other home front, for two weeks no one has viewed the house we have for sale. We dropped the price a bit today to try to get people in the door to see it, and will drop it more if need be. We are more interested in getting rid of it than in making a lot of money.
A home in a place where no one told us we absolutely had to live. Amazing. Taciturn and I figured out how many times we have moved; I certainly win with eighteen moves since 1985. I'm tired of moving. It is time to sink my roots and live in a place without one foot out of the door.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Update from Vermont!
Yes, Lauralew is still alive, but relocated.
A bit over two weeks ago, Taciturn and I locked up our Black Hills home for the last time and hit the road with our two felines. We drove a day behind a horrendous snow storm (no dearth of those this winter), which caused only a couple hours’ worth of road angst in and around Erie PA. We moved into our interim Vermont home, a 160 year old furnished red farmhouse, on Sunday February 28th. Our gracious landlord came over to check on us not long after. She gave us a quick update on the quirks of the house and the property and the customs of garbage disposal, recycling, etc--which we absolutely needed to know as they are quite different than in western South Dakota.
This is a nice home for the time being. Definitely would not want it forever--we are here in Vermont’s mud season so it is a wild ride down the dirt (mud soup) road into town, for example. It is a bit far out of the closest town. Even if all else was perfect, one of the quirks of the property that the landlord mentioned would totally preclude this house from consideration for a permanent home. But it is a good base for househunting.
We had one offer on the Black Hills home, which has been on the market for almost six weeks. We turned it down as it was so awful it was almost insulting--it made many assumptions about us and our motivations, let me just put it that way. Eventually it’ll sell.
VTCrone has been just wonderful to us since we arrived. She and her husband received five large packages for us that I had shipped ahead, brought us some yummy lasagna which made four meals, and took us to a wonderful restaurant just four miles from our rental. Also, they allowed me to tag along to church with them this past Sunday at an Episcopal congregation that meets in an old schoolhouse in the town of Jerusalem, VT--thus the name Jerusalem Gathering. The bishop of Vermont, Thomas Ely, visited that particular Sunday; he said to me afterward, “What’s your story? You obviously know your way around Episcopal liturgy.” We talked for a while. He was very nice. Everyone I met was pleasant and cordial. It’ll be fun to go on a normal Sunday.
Househunting has started in earnest. We have driven all over the west central area of Vermont looking at villages and neighborhoods. Right now the pickings are slim for homes that we would consider in our target areas. For example, we fell in love with the town of Richmond, VT last summer. Taciturn’s ideal home would be an older home right in town. One that fits that description in our price range has railroad tracks just past the back yard and a packaged meat distribution center one block away in the front. Not for us. Elsewhere we have found two houses that would do, but we are not sure yet we want to live in the village where they are located. We do not have to make a decision now, thankfully.
As for Lent--what’s that? Hard to maintain a discipline when I don’t feel yet like I live anywhere. I brought some books to read but at present when I’m not actively working at a task, I just pace around the house.
As we get into a rhythm of life here in this transition phase, I’ll try to be better about updates. One can only househunt so many hours in a day without tearing out one’s hair.
Off to run errands!
A bit over two weeks ago, Taciturn and I locked up our Black Hills home for the last time and hit the road with our two felines. We drove a day behind a horrendous snow storm (no dearth of those this winter), which caused only a couple hours’ worth of road angst in and around Erie PA. We moved into our interim Vermont home, a 160 year old furnished red farmhouse, on Sunday February 28th. Our gracious landlord came over to check on us not long after. She gave us a quick update on the quirks of the house and the property and the customs of garbage disposal, recycling, etc--which we absolutely needed to know as they are quite different than in western South Dakota.
This is a nice home for the time being. Definitely would not want it forever--we are here in Vermont’s mud season so it is a wild ride down the dirt (mud soup) road into town, for example. It is a bit far out of the closest town. Even if all else was perfect, one of the quirks of the property that the landlord mentioned would totally preclude this house from consideration for a permanent home. But it is a good base for househunting.
We had one offer on the Black Hills home, which has been on the market for almost six weeks. We turned it down as it was so awful it was almost insulting--it made many assumptions about us and our motivations, let me just put it that way. Eventually it’ll sell.
VTCrone has been just wonderful to us since we arrived. She and her husband received five large packages for us that I had shipped ahead, brought us some yummy lasagna which made four meals, and took us to a wonderful restaurant just four miles from our rental. Also, they allowed me to tag along to church with them this past Sunday at an Episcopal congregation that meets in an old schoolhouse in the town of Jerusalem, VT--thus the name Jerusalem Gathering. The bishop of Vermont, Thomas Ely, visited that particular Sunday; he said to me afterward, “What’s your story? You obviously know your way around Episcopal liturgy.” We talked for a while. He was very nice. Everyone I met was pleasant and cordial. It’ll be fun to go on a normal Sunday.
Househunting has started in earnest. We have driven all over the west central area of Vermont looking at villages and neighborhoods. Right now the pickings are slim for homes that we would consider in our target areas. For example, we fell in love with the town of Richmond, VT last summer. Taciturn’s ideal home would be an older home right in town. One that fits that description in our price range has railroad tracks just past the back yard and a packaged meat distribution center one block away in the front. Not for us. Elsewhere we have found two houses that would do, but we are not sure yet we want to live in the village where they are located. We do not have to make a decision now, thankfully.
As for Lent--what’s that? Hard to maintain a discipline when I don’t feel yet like I live anywhere. I brought some books to read but at present when I’m not actively working at a task, I just pace around the house.
As we get into a rhythm of life here in this transition phase, I’ll try to be better about updates. One can only househunt so many hours in a day without tearing out one’s hair.
Off to run errands!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
See Lauralew on the Move
What you would have seen if you watched me on Reality TV the last few weeks:
See Lauralew clean and clean and clean. See Lauralew sort and toss, toss and sort. See Lauralew take the three excess computers and other elderly electronics to Best Buy for recycling. See the "For Sale" sign go up in front of Lauralew's house. See her REALLY clean.
See Lauralew double over with abdominal pain every day for weeks. See Lauralew have a CT, blood tests and an ultrasound. See Lauralew jump for joy when nothing horrible was found. See Lauralew take pain pills so she can continue to clean and clean during the move since there is no time for further testing before the move.
See Lauralew ship many packages via UPS to VTCrone, to keep until Lauralew gets to VT. See the movers come and take Lauralew's furniture away. See Lauralew's friend CFE clean and clean the empty cabinets and mop the floor. See Lauralew and Taciturn pack their cars with belongings and cats until nothing more will fit. See them all drive east for a trip that is door to door 1861 miles.
Now see Lauralew and T relax in a motel room with the cats a bit over a third of the way to their new life. And hear Lauralew and T haggle with would be buyers over a "you can't be serious" offer.
Once I am in VT and have a few days to rest, I'll get back to blogging.
See Lauralew clean and clean and clean. See Lauralew sort and toss, toss and sort. See Lauralew take the three excess computers and other elderly electronics to Best Buy for recycling. See the "For Sale" sign go up in front of Lauralew's house. See her REALLY clean.
See Lauralew double over with abdominal pain every day for weeks. See Lauralew have a CT, blood tests and an ultrasound. See Lauralew jump for joy when nothing horrible was found. See Lauralew take pain pills so she can continue to clean and clean during the move since there is no time for further testing before the move.
See Lauralew ship many packages via UPS to VTCrone, to keep until Lauralew gets to VT. See the movers come and take Lauralew's furniture away. See Lauralew's friend CFE clean and clean the empty cabinets and mop the floor. See Lauralew and Taciturn pack their cars with belongings and cats until nothing more will fit. See them all drive east for a trip that is door to door 1861 miles.
Now see Lauralew and T relax in a motel room with the cats a bit over a third of the way to their new life. And hear Lauralew and T haggle with would be buyers over a "you can't be serious" offer.
Once I am in VT and have a few days to rest, I'll get back to blogging.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Haven't Posted for a While
Told you I would be busy. I knew the house needed lots of work--but didn’t realize how much. For those who are my FB pals, you have seen the posts about all the work I’ve done to get the house ready for sale. It seems like the more I do, the more I find to be done.
The Realtor who sold us this house in March 2002 came by a week ago. She surprised us with what she thought the house would fetch on the market--much more than expected, and still she apologized that the local market would not support a higher price. But she expects us to do much more than we have done already. Taciturn thought we would put the house on the market that day. I knew better, as I worked for this Realtor as a stop gap job several years ago and knew her exacting standards. She will not list our house until it is as perfect as possible. She wants us to replace the carpet which I thought she might, but Taciturn said no. We agreed to clean it and then check the feedback from potential buyers. If the carpet is repeatedly cited as a problem, then we’ll replace it (we’ve already planned an allowance). Also, we had been afraid we would have to re-stain some of our woodwork but she told me what to use to get rid of the obvious scratches. I tried it over the weekend and it works like a charm. A handyman will be here next week to fix drywall holes and other things, and will get the carpets cleaned closer to our target list date of February 1.
Now it is de-clutter time! One of our downstairs bedrooms has morphed into the designated Taciturn junk room. The Realtor cringed when she saw it. She said, “You are moving, so you need to start boxing some of this stuff up!” Upstairs, I’d spent several hours in our walk in master closet re-installing shelving that had been taken down by our tenants when they were here, as well as boxing up excess clothing. I thought the closet looked pretty good. When the Realtor peered into it, she said, “Of course you’ll tidy this up.” T about fainted. “I thought it was tidied up!” he told me later.
Most of our furniture is really banged up from all of the military moves. We had planned to replace it over a few years once we were settled. Once we realized we would move again we stopped replacing, so much of the old ratty stuff remains. I think the Realtor is relieved that we plan to move out before the house has been on the market long; our place will not be HGTV perfect. (She said she would do a partial staging after we are gone.) Our living room set is so torn up we are not taking it with us but giving it away. It is serviceable, nothing more.
Taciturn lined up a beautiful furnished rental farmhouse in Starksboro, VT with a four month lease. That gives us time to really explore the various villages and houses in our target area before we buy, and four months also gives us time to close. But to get the great rental place, we must get to Vermont several weeks earlier than originally planned. Instead of around the end of April, as we had planned somewhat hazily, we plan to be completely out of this house February 23.
What we long have dreamed of and planned for is coming up very soon. I can’t believe it.
The Realtor who sold us this house in March 2002 came by a week ago. She surprised us with what she thought the house would fetch on the market--much more than expected, and still she apologized that the local market would not support a higher price. But she expects us to do much more than we have done already. Taciturn thought we would put the house on the market that day. I knew better, as I worked for this Realtor as a stop gap job several years ago and knew her exacting standards. She will not list our house until it is as perfect as possible. She wants us to replace the carpet which I thought she might, but Taciturn said no. We agreed to clean it and then check the feedback from potential buyers. If the carpet is repeatedly cited as a problem, then we’ll replace it (we’ve already planned an allowance). Also, we had been afraid we would have to re-stain some of our woodwork but she told me what to use to get rid of the obvious scratches. I tried it over the weekend and it works like a charm. A handyman will be here next week to fix drywall holes and other things, and will get the carpets cleaned closer to our target list date of February 1.
Now it is de-clutter time! One of our downstairs bedrooms has morphed into the designated Taciturn junk room. The Realtor cringed when she saw it. She said, “You are moving, so you need to start boxing some of this stuff up!” Upstairs, I’d spent several hours in our walk in master closet re-installing shelving that had been taken down by our tenants when they were here, as well as boxing up excess clothing. I thought the closet looked pretty good. When the Realtor peered into it, she said, “Of course you’ll tidy this up.” T about fainted. “I thought it was tidied up!” he told me later.
Most of our furniture is really banged up from all of the military moves. We had planned to replace it over a few years once we were settled. Once we realized we would move again we stopped replacing, so much of the old ratty stuff remains. I think the Realtor is relieved that we plan to move out before the house has been on the market long; our place will not be HGTV perfect. (She said she would do a partial staging after we are gone.) Our living room set is so torn up we are not taking it with us but giving it away. It is serviceable, nothing more.
Taciturn lined up a beautiful furnished rental farmhouse in Starksboro, VT with a four month lease. That gives us time to really explore the various villages and houses in our target area before we buy, and four months also gives us time to close. But to get the great rental place, we must get to Vermont several weeks earlier than originally planned. Instead of around the end of April, as we had planned somewhat hazily, we plan to be completely out of this house February 23.
What we long have dreamed of and planned for is coming up very soon. I can’t believe it.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Beginner's Mind, from Richard Rohr, OFM
This essay came in an daily email I get from Richard Rohr. I read it over and over. First I saw faces of a few people I know who live in absolute certainty yet I consider to be pretty ignorant. Then I wondered, "Ooh, who says that about me?" May I consider things prayerfully, and not just go with my knee jerk reaction. I've done that before, and been badly burned. Like Fr. Rohr says, that's ego. Without opening oneself to further wisdom, that person operates at an infantile level. Ouch.
BEGINNER’S MIND
December 28
Feast of the Holy Innocents
Question of the Day:
How can I incorporate waiting for wisdom into my day?
Ignorance does not result from what we don’t know! Ignorance results from what we think we do know—but don’t! Most ignorant people are, in fact, quite certain. “Holy innocents” just don’t know. And what is so wrong about that?
Wisdom is not just knowledge (i.e. data, facts, information), but putting knowledge in larger frames, and frames where I and my groups are not the reference point. It’s connecting new information with other perspectives and goals than my own. Wisdom is the combination of momentary text and full context. Knowledge is about words and definitions. Wisdom includes what is written between, above, and below the lines.
Most people's first reaction is usually based on knowledge, data, and facts, but not necessarily on wisdom. Beginner’s mind is willing to wait and pray for the full picture. So it does have a lot to do with patience—it’s refusing to trust my knee-jerk reaction. The knee-jerk reaction is almost always ego. So you wait and you pray and you listen. And then you might have something wiser to say—something a little more truthful than my little story—or even more than our group story—something that might possibly approach The Story.
Adapted from Beginner’s Mind
Mantra:
Let each moment be a new beginning.
BEGINNER’S MIND
December 28
Feast of the Holy Innocents
Question of the Day:
How can I incorporate waiting for wisdom into my day?
Ignorance does not result from what we don’t know! Ignorance results from what we think we do know—but don’t! Most ignorant people are, in fact, quite certain. “Holy innocents” just don’t know. And what is so wrong about that?
Wisdom is not just knowledge (i.e. data, facts, information), but putting knowledge in larger frames, and frames where I and my groups are not the reference point. It’s connecting new information with other perspectives and goals than my own. Wisdom is the combination of momentary text and full context. Knowledge is about words and definitions. Wisdom includes what is written between, above, and below the lines.
Most people's first reaction is usually based on knowledge, data, and facts, but not necessarily on wisdom. Beginner’s mind is willing to wait and pray for the full picture. So it does have a lot to do with patience—it’s refusing to trust my knee-jerk reaction. The knee-jerk reaction is almost always ego. So you wait and you pray and you listen. And then you might have something wiser to say—something a little more truthful than my little story—or even more than our group story—something that might possibly approach The Story.
Adapted from Beginner’s Mind
Mantra:
Let each moment be a new beginning.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Cold, Remodeling, Snow
So much for cleaning and decluttering this am. I woke up coughing and choking at 0330 and after a couple of hits from my albuterol inhaler, I still could not go back to sleep. The head cold I had has gone into my lungs, which is tough for this asthmatic. It’ll be gallons of hot tea as well as sitting in a nice hot shower today.
This am, instead of worshipping in church, I said Morning Prayer all bundled up in my rocker. Lovely to pray while gazing at the hills blanketed by snow. One of the books I put up for sale on Amazon yesterday already has sold so I packed it up to send off tomorrow. Only Son’s Bride said she would take some of my old magazines that sit around here; she read of an arts project in which magazine strips could be woven into baskets. A good crafts project for the children, she thinks. Anything to get them out of my house yet be useful is great, I think. I will get a box in which to ship them off, via media mail.
In my last post, I made little mention of my Missouri trip except that I went. My brother Caretaker, whom I dropped by to see, has done an amazing amount of work on the parents’ house. The bedroom where my agoraphobic father practically lived has been totally remodeled. Caretaker tore up the rugs to reveal a hardwood floor; after the sanding and finishing he did, it absolutely gleams. The crumbling wainscoting and flaking wallpaper are gone and the walls are painted an orange tinted brown. New window treatments are up. One would never dream this was the same room. The changes flow into the next room, which was the guest room. It now is an office, also repainted and with new window coverings. The once open closet now has a door.
He has one more room to do, and once that is done it will become his little grandson’s bedroom. But poor Caretaker had to have major sinus surgery this past week, so any further remodeling is on hold. I tried to get in touch with him to see how he was but could not. They do not answer the main household phone as the brother who is in charge of the parents’ estate (why they did not put Caretaker in charge is a mystery) has dragged his feet in paying the estate’s bills, so bill collector literally ring the phone off the hook.
(The story of what happened with my parents’ estate is not only worthy of a blog post, but as a magazine article. It is a cautionary tale of what can happen if a person does not update estate plans. But since it involves family members, it really is unbloggable.)
Taciturn just finished shoveling the snow off of the driveway—at least enough to let a car through. The roads in our subdivision still are icy and slick so I suppose I would not have been able to get down the 8% grade hill that takes us in the subdivision to the main road to get to church today anyway. I’ll post some photos later on.
This am, instead of worshipping in church, I said Morning Prayer all bundled up in my rocker. Lovely to pray while gazing at the hills blanketed by snow. One of the books I put up for sale on Amazon yesterday already has sold so I packed it up to send off tomorrow. Only Son’s Bride said she would take some of my old magazines that sit around here; she read of an arts project in which magazine strips could be woven into baskets. A good crafts project for the children, she thinks. Anything to get them out of my house yet be useful is great, I think. I will get a box in which to ship them off, via media mail.
In my last post, I made little mention of my Missouri trip except that I went. My brother Caretaker, whom I dropped by to see, has done an amazing amount of work on the parents’ house. The bedroom where my agoraphobic father practically lived has been totally remodeled. Caretaker tore up the rugs to reveal a hardwood floor; after the sanding and finishing he did, it absolutely gleams. The crumbling wainscoting and flaking wallpaper are gone and the walls are painted an orange tinted brown. New window treatments are up. One would never dream this was the same room. The changes flow into the next room, which was the guest room. It now is an office, also repainted and with new window coverings. The once open closet now has a door.
He has one more room to do, and once that is done it will become his little grandson’s bedroom. But poor Caretaker had to have major sinus surgery this past week, so any further remodeling is on hold. I tried to get in touch with him to see how he was but could not. They do not answer the main household phone as the brother who is in charge of the parents’ estate (why they did not put Caretaker in charge is a mystery) has dragged his feet in paying the estate’s bills, so bill collector literally ring the phone off the hook.
(The story of what happened with my parents’ estate is not only worthy of a blog post, but as a magazine article. It is a cautionary tale of what can happen if a person does not update estate plans. But since it involves family members, it really is unbloggable.)
Taciturn just finished shoveling the snow off of the driveway—at least enough to let a car through. The roads in our subdivision still are icy and slick so I suppose I would not have been able to get down the 8% grade hill that takes us in the subdivision to the main road to get to church today anyway. I’ll post some photos later on.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Second Day of Christmas
Two weeks ago today I left my SD house for a nice trip to see the Episcograndkids and incidentally, their parents. I left on the one day that snow storms all around allowed me to leave, and started my return trip last Sunday. That was the one day also I could have left and made it all the way home by the next afternoon.
Due to storms, I'd still be in MO had I not left when I did. I love my family but we all would have killed each other by now! Besides, as soon as I returned I developed a viral illness that is not severe but has me operating at a subpar level.
The blizzard we had yesterday, through the night and into this afternoon is beginning to subside. The sun has peeked out--but the snow flurries continue to blow horizontally. Between the weather and my cold, I haven’t been out of the house since Tuesday!
Now the big push begins to get the house ready to sell, and our things ready to move. I listed several more of my theology books at rock bottom prices onto Amazon.com as the new seminary semesters will start soon. After all, the aim isn’t to make money--it is to get rid of the darn things so I don’t have to move them. I’ve mentioned before that I am a huge magazine junkie. Piles of old issues sit all over my house. Today I bit the bullet and cancelled four subscriptions. One of those magazines I haven’t even taken out of the wrapper for months and the others I just flip through and set aside. Time for them to go.
Meanwhile, Taciturn spent Christmas Day on Craigslist. We are beginning to think that we would like to get a short term rental in VT, say three to six months, to explore likely places to live a little more closely. Houses move so slowly there that if we made a mistake and bought in an area we turn out to hate, we’d be stuck there a lot longer. He answered several ads for places all around our target area, and spoke with someone on the phone today. It may be too early to look for a rental as we aren’t moving until March (first we had figured April, but since we’ve realized that essentially we are done here, March is better).
Had a bit of a laugh--one of the replies we received from our queries was pretty aggressive. The fellow asked questions of us that more appropriately would be asked during a credit approval process, not before we knew anything about the rental. I Googled him to see if he was just scamming to steal identities. Turned out that he really does own a lot of rental properties, but oh by the way he is the son of a well known broadcast journalist whose political views T despises. That bit of info I withheld from T. I wanted to see if the place was worth a trip to see. After another email exchange, though, we decided the place he advertises won’t do for us.
I’ll try to keep posting on a semi-regular basis, but since this is low on the priority list I may not post or read much. Lots and lots to do between now and March!
Due to storms, I'd still be in MO had I not left when I did. I love my family but we all would have killed each other by now! Besides, as soon as I returned I developed a viral illness that is not severe but has me operating at a subpar level.
The blizzard we had yesterday, through the night and into this afternoon is beginning to subside. The sun has peeked out--but the snow flurries continue to blow horizontally. Between the weather and my cold, I haven’t been out of the house since Tuesday!
Now the big push begins to get the house ready to sell, and our things ready to move. I listed several more of my theology books at rock bottom prices onto Amazon.com as the new seminary semesters will start soon. After all, the aim isn’t to make money--it is to get rid of the darn things so I don’t have to move them. I’ve mentioned before that I am a huge magazine junkie. Piles of old issues sit all over my house. Today I bit the bullet and cancelled four subscriptions. One of those magazines I haven’t even taken out of the wrapper for months and the others I just flip through and set aside. Time for them to go.
Meanwhile, Taciturn spent Christmas Day on Craigslist. We are beginning to think that we would like to get a short term rental in VT, say three to six months, to explore likely places to live a little more closely. Houses move so slowly there that if we made a mistake and bought in an area we turn out to hate, we’d be stuck there a lot longer. He answered several ads for places all around our target area, and spoke with someone on the phone today. It may be too early to look for a rental as we aren’t moving until March (first we had figured April, but since we’ve realized that essentially we are done here, March is better).
Had a bit of a laugh--one of the replies we received from our queries was pretty aggressive. The fellow asked questions of us that more appropriately would be asked during a credit approval process, not before we knew anything about the rental. I Googled him to see if he was just scamming to steal identities. Turned out that he really does own a lot of rental properties, but oh by the way he is the son of a well known broadcast journalist whose political views T despises. That bit of info I withheld from T. I wanted to see if the place was worth a trip to see. After another email exchange, though, we decided the place he advertises won’t do for us.
I’ll try to keep posting on a semi-regular basis, but since this is low on the priority list I may not post or read much. Lots and lots to do between now and March!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Hunkering Down
Today the high at my house, according to our Weather Station, was five dgs F. The sky was blue and there was little, if any wind. If you just looked out the window, you would have been fooled. Open the door and you were sorry. I did to retrieve a parcel the UPS man left, and oh did my face hurt. The things in the parcel were still too cold to touch an hour after I brought it in.
I stayed home today. Taciturn did his Meals on Wheels route wearing the parka he acquired when he lived in Alaska. He said that with the sun and no wind, he was toasty warm. While he was gone, I decided to start the deep cleaning part of preparing the house so I started washing the cherry stained woodwork in the house with Murphy's Oil Soap. All of the cabinets, the window sills, the baseboards, and the doors and door frames are cherry stained, so to wash all of it is a lot of work and will take several days to do. I'm starting with the least used and working to the most used for obvious reasons. It sure is lovely when it is done--the woodwork just glows. I did that for a couple of hours today. I wiped the woodwork down then dried it with a dish towel.
The clothes I set aside yesterday I added to today, and I placed it all in a box for delivery to the mission thrift store tomorrow when I go to PT. I also worked on restoring shelves in my walk in bedroom closet to their rightful places. This is another thing left over from when we moved back in 2007. The renters took down lots of the shelves when they were here, which is why I worked on that today. They also took down several doors, which we put back immediately upon our return. The shelves obviously could wait. We really don't own that much. Some of our closets are practically empty. This house is too big for us.
I also found a very helpful website today. Our county has a site where a person can type in an address or a name and find out anything you would want to know about a property. I found out how large the houses are on either side of me and how much the appraised value is. The next door house that will go up for sale this summer that flipped Taciturn out? It really looks nice on the outside, but on the inside, it is 40% smaller than our house and so cannot be considered a comparable to ours. I also looked up how much the neighborhood houses that recently sold went for per square foot. So when T got home from Meals, I had a lot to tell him. Hopefully he will realize that we will NOT have to give our house away.
We decided that tonight is a good night for buffalo chili. I do like a good hearty meal on such a cold night.
I stayed home today. Taciturn did his Meals on Wheels route wearing the parka he acquired when he lived in Alaska. He said that with the sun and no wind, he was toasty warm. While he was gone, I decided to start the deep cleaning part of preparing the house so I started washing the cherry stained woodwork in the house with Murphy's Oil Soap. All of the cabinets, the window sills, the baseboards, and the doors and door frames are cherry stained, so to wash all of it is a lot of work and will take several days to do. I'm starting with the least used and working to the most used for obvious reasons. It sure is lovely when it is done--the woodwork just glows. I did that for a couple of hours today. I wiped the woodwork down then dried it with a dish towel.
The clothes I set aside yesterday I added to today, and I placed it all in a box for delivery to the mission thrift store tomorrow when I go to PT. I also worked on restoring shelves in my walk in bedroom closet to their rightful places. This is another thing left over from when we moved back in 2007. The renters took down lots of the shelves when they were here, which is why I worked on that today. They also took down several doors, which we put back immediately upon our return. The shelves obviously could wait. We really don't own that much. Some of our closets are practically empty. This house is too big for us.
I also found a very helpful website today. Our county has a site where a person can type in an address or a name and find out anything you would want to know about a property. I found out how large the houses are on either side of me and how much the appraised value is. The next door house that will go up for sale this summer that flipped Taciturn out? It really looks nice on the outside, but on the inside, it is 40% smaller than our house and so cannot be considered a comparable to ours. I also looked up how much the neighborhood houses that recently sold went for per square foot. So when T got home from Meals, I had a lot to tell him. Hopefully he will realize that we will NOT have to give our house away.
We decided that tonight is a good night for buffalo chili. I do like a good hearty meal on such a cold night.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Preparation Time
Thought this would be about Advent, didn't you? Not this post.
Last evening I stacked up a bunch of clothes I no longer wear. I cleaned off a shelf in my bedroom closet and put the stack there. A few drawers need to be cleaned out before I load the entire pile into my car and take it to the thrift shop.
Yesterday I sat on my office floor pulling items out of a cabinet and tossing what was no longer necessary to keep. I filled up a tall kitchen sized trash can with the detris.
In our downstairs garage are six boxes that are as yet unpacked from our move to this place from DC 2.5 years ago. I had planned to get those out of the way this week, but since the temperature currently hovers at zero and will for the next few days, I’m passing for the moment on that activity.
And I ran into the best friend of a woman whose home burned last year. She could use some kitchen stuff, so I’ll go through my massive stash of kitchen supplies to see if there is anything she would like.
If nothing else, this moving stuff motivates a person to loosen unwanted and unnecessary stuff from one’s grasp.
Thanks to VTCrone, I’ve been in touch with a VT realtor. Said realtor emailed me yesterday to answer a question I had about a particular property and to figure out what exactly we want in a home. This is pretty exciting, to actually tell someone who can do something about it what we want.
Meanwhile, I saw my neurologist this morning to follow up on my myasthenia gravis. I have not taken my medication correctly due to horrific side effects, and so have had issues with my condition. So, he simply changed my medication. I should have called him a while back.
Time for a bit of decadent self care in a few minutes—I’m getting my postmenopausal mustache waxed off. I had planned to go see Only Son and the grandchildren later this week but I may postpone it due to weather. Taciturn and I plan to spend Christmas here.
How is it in your neck of the woods?
Last evening I stacked up a bunch of clothes I no longer wear. I cleaned off a shelf in my bedroom closet and put the stack there. A few drawers need to be cleaned out before I load the entire pile into my car and take it to the thrift shop.
Yesterday I sat on my office floor pulling items out of a cabinet and tossing what was no longer necessary to keep. I filled up a tall kitchen sized trash can with the detris.
In our downstairs garage are six boxes that are as yet unpacked from our move to this place from DC 2.5 years ago. I had planned to get those out of the way this week, but since the temperature currently hovers at zero and will for the next few days, I’m passing for the moment on that activity.
And I ran into the best friend of a woman whose home burned last year. She could use some kitchen stuff, so I’ll go through my massive stash of kitchen supplies to see if there is anything she would like.
If nothing else, this moving stuff motivates a person to loosen unwanted and unnecessary stuff from one’s grasp.
Thanks to VTCrone, I’ve been in touch with a VT realtor. Said realtor emailed me yesterday to answer a question I had about a particular property and to figure out what exactly we want in a home. This is pretty exciting, to actually tell someone who can do something about it what we want.
Meanwhile, I saw my neurologist this morning to follow up on my myasthenia gravis. I have not taken my medication correctly due to horrific side effects, and so have had issues with my condition. So, he simply changed my medication. I should have called him a while back.
Time for a bit of decadent self care in a few minutes—I’m getting my postmenopausal mustache waxed off. I had planned to go see Only Son and the grandchildren later this week but I may postpone it due to weather. Taciturn and I plan to spend Christmas here.
How is it in your neck of the woods?
God is Good
The following missive came in the morning email from Richard Rohr. I find it is a useful corrective to that viral photo of the fellow at Yale with the sandwich board that proclaims whom God does not love.
MARY, THE PREPARED ONE
December 8
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Question of the Day:
What does my election ask of me?
“Mary, do not be afraid, you have won God’s favor,” says the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:30).
The word favor doesn’t say anything about the recipient. Favor says something about the one who is doing the favoring. So it’s really not saying anything about Mary. It’s saying something about God’s election of Mary. She is one who is the absolutely perfect receiver, and refuses to play the “Lord, I am not worthy” card that had become normative in most biblical theophanies. She just says, “Let it be done unto me” (Luke 1:38). She lets God do all the giving. Her job is just to receive such perfect giving.
God does not love you because you are good; God loves you because God is good. God does not love you because you are good; you are good because God loves you.
Adapted from Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, p 178
Mantra:
The Almighty has done
great things for me.
MARY, THE PREPARED ONE
December 8
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Question of the Day:
What does my election ask of me?
“Mary, do not be afraid, you have won God’s favor,” says the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:30).
The word favor doesn’t say anything about the recipient. Favor says something about the one who is doing the favoring. So it’s really not saying anything about Mary. It’s saying something about God’s election of Mary. She is one who is the absolutely perfect receiver, and refuses to play the “Lord, I am not worthy” card that had become normative in most biblical theophanies. She just says, “Let it be done unto me” (Luke 1:38). She lets God do all the giving. Her job is just to receive such perfect giving.
God does not love you because you are good; God loves you because God is good. God does not love you because you are good; you are good because God loves you.
Adapted from Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, p 178
Mantra:
The Almighty has done
great things for me.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Busy Few Days
The last few days have been really busy so I'm glad the NaBloPoMo is finished. I could have gotten posts up, but they would have been rushed.
Besides awaiting the coming of the Christ child in Advent, I'm awaiting my move. A few days ago a Vermonter with the handle VTCrone commented on a post from two weeks ago. She offered her email to me for questions. I took her post down due to her personal email in it but we've carried on a lively correspondence since then. She's given me lots of information but more importantly, she has given me a bit of friendship when that's the only thing in it for her.
She gave me the name of her realtor, which is something huge we needed. I emailed that person a little while ago to introduce myself and tell her some of the houses we are interested in that we've seen online. I look forward to hearing from her.
This speaking with an actual potential neighbor has kicked my butt a bit. I've been in our walk in closet tossing big time. I also threw out a bunch of stuff out of the pantry that was pushed to the back and died. I have to take one of the shelves down and scrub it; a can of plums is leaking, slowly :/. I had no clue until I was on the stepladder and noticed a stain on the shelf.
Meanwhile, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago or so that my next door neighbor is attempting to sell his house. On Wednesday, I got a massage from my other next door neighbor, and casually mentioned we were putting our house on the market in ~ February. She blanched. She and her husband plan to move their family this summer to California, where he works in the movie business, and want to put their house on the market in April. The picture is right there in my mind--all of the three houses at the end of our cul-de-sac with For Sale signs in the yards.
Taciturn is in a panic. For whatever reason, he is convinced we will have to give our house away, and now he is doubly so. But two people who recently sold houses told me that actually it may help us; someone may drive up to see one house, see one of the others that is pleasing at first glance, and look at that one also. My physical therapist said last summer four houses on his block sold, including his own. Especially since we hear that ours is a desirable subdivision and that houses for sale are few and far between, that is quite encouraging.
Today was the most brutal PT session I've experienced. He is trying to get my legs stronger and I did lots of weights, squats, leg lifts, etc. He promised me that I'll be sore tomorrow. That's ok. My tomorrow will be spent in an Advent Quiet Day, and then my pals PB and DB and I are driving to Hill City, SD to the Prairie Berry Winery for the Fezziwig Festival. PB goes each year and says it is great fun! Looking forward to it.
Besides awaiting the coming of the Christ child in Advent, I'm awaiting my move. A few days ago a Vermonter with the handle VTCrone commented on a post from two weeks ago. She offered her email to me for questions. I took her post down due to her personal email in it but we've carried on a lively correspondence since then. She's given me lots of information but more importantly, she has given me a bit of friendship when that's the only thing in it for her.
She gave me the name of her realtor, which is something huge we needed. I emailed that person a little while ago to introduce myself and tell her some of the houses we are interested in that we've seen online. I look forward to hearing from her.
This speaking with an actual potential neighbor has kicked my butt a bit. I've been in our walk in closet tossing big time. I also threw out a bunch of stuff out of the pantry that was pushed to the back and died. I have to take one of the shelves down and scrub it; a can of plums is leaking, slowly :/. I had no clue until I was on the stepladder and noticed a stain on the shelf.
Meanwhile, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago or so that my next door neighbor is attempting to sell his house. On Wednesday, I got a massage from my other next door neighbor, and casually mentioned we were putting our house on the market in ~ February. She blanched. She and her husband plan to move their family this summer to California, where he works in the movie business, and want to put their house on the market in April. The picture is right there in my mind--all of the three houses at the end of our cul-de-sac with For Sale signs in the yards.
Taciturn is in a panic. For whatever reason, he is convinced we will have to give our house away, and now he is doubly so. But two people who recently sold houses told me that actually it may help us; someone may drive up to see one house, see one of the others that is pleasing at first glance, and look at that one also. My physical therapist said last summer four houses on his block sold, including his own. Especially since we hear that ours is a desirable subdivision and that houses for sale are few and far between, that is quite encouraging.
Today was the most brutal PT session I've experienced. He is trying to get my legs stronger and I did lots of weights, squats, leg lifts, etc. He promised me that I'll be sore tomorrow. That's ok. My tomorrow will be spent in an Advent Quiet Day, and then my pals PB and DB and I are driving to Hill City, SD to the Prairie Berry Winery for the Fezziwig Festival. PB goes each year and says it is great fun! Looking forward to it.
Monday, November 30, 2009
The last of November
Mom would have been 74 today. Very odd not to need to pick up the phone to give her a call. I remember when she turned seventy; when I asked her how she felt about being that age, she said, “I don’t want to be seventy!”
“Well,” I said, “consider the alternative.”
Four short years later, the alternative is the reality.
Otherwise, it has been a good day. This morning I finished and submitted the two hundred word essay I wrote for the Lenten reflection booklet the local Episcopal churches are compiling jointly. My knee feels the best it has for a long time and I had a good workout at physical therapy. I was able to piggyback on a free wireless signal from the café next door to the PT clinic and listen to VPR Classical on my iPod Touch during electrical stimulation, which is a lovely way to pass the time. Feeling guilty after PT, I bought a bowl of delicious chicken chipotle soup for my lunch from the cafe'.
Evensong for the Feast of St. Andrew, the patron saint of my church, awaits tonight. Good to attend church on this day in particular.
Thanks for hanging with me during NaBloPoMo! I think I got something up each day. I’ll see how or if I will continue this much posting during Advent. No urgency now, certainly!
“Well,” I said, “consider the alternative.”
Four short years later, the alternative is the reality.
Otherwise, it has been a good day. This morning I finished and submitted the two hundred word essay I wrote for the Lenten reflection booklet the local Episcopal churches are compiling jointly. My knee feels the best it has for a long time and I had a good workout at physical therapy. I was able to piggyback on a free wireless signal from the café next door to the PT clinic and listen to VPR Classical on my iPod Touch during electrical stimulation, which is a lovely way to pass the time. Feeling guilty after PT, I bought a bowl of delicious chicken chipotle soup for my lunch from the cafe'.
Evensong for the Feast of St. Andrew, the patron saint of my church, awaits tonight. Good to attend church on this day in particular.
Thanks for hanging with me during NaBloPoMo! I think I got something up each day. I’ll see how or if I will continue this much posting during Advent. No urgency now, certainly!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Guess Move is Still Not Well Known
I was approached to run for the vestry in January. Obviously the present vestry does not know I plan to move. Have the pledge envelopes been opened yet? If so, then those in the know are keeping quiet. BTW, I dodged the vestry question by stating I had done that before and it did not work out for me (true).
Since many of my church friends are also friends on Spacebook, I don't discuss anything related to a move except in private messages. Some Spacebook status updates I have not posted include Lauralew:
--is going through five years' worth of Real Simple magazines to see which ones she will keep and which she will give away. Too heavy to ship. (One of my favorite magazines since it came out.)
--is selling books on Amazon.com for the same reason.
--cannot decide whether to go on her househunting trip before Xmas or after the New Year. A lot of snow either way.
--needs to get rid of a lot of excess furniture; if you need a slightly worn dining room set, a loveseat in need of a slipcover, etc, call me!
--and Taciturn spend way too much time on Realtor.com.
--spends so much time on Realtor.com she does not have time to clean out her basement or cupboards in prep for the move.
And so on. Of course, several of my fellow parishioners have commented on this blog in the past, so I assume they still read it.
Meanwhile, today is the first Sunday of Advent. Our creche is up; our decorating is finished. Now is the time of joyful anticipation, a time of waiting. Waiting is different now than when I was a child. This time is more meaningful now. Happy Advent to all!
Since many of my church friends are also friends on Spacebook, I don't discuss anything related to a move except in private messages. Some Spacebook status updates I have not posted include Lauralew:
--is going through five years' worth of Real Simple magazines to see which ones she will keep and which she will give away. Too heavy to ship. (One of my favorite magazines since it came out.)
--is selling books on Amazon.com for the same reason.
--cannot decide whether to go on her househunting trip before Xmas or after the New Year. A lot of snow either way.
--needs to get rid of a lot of excess furniture; if you need a slightly worn dining room set, a loveseat in need of a slipcover, etc, call me!
--and Taciturn spend way too much time on Realtor.com.
--spends so much time on Realtor.com she does not have time to clean out her basement or cupboards in prep for the move.
And so on. Of course, several of my fellow parishioners have commented on this blog in the past, so I assume they still read it.
Meanwhile, today is the first Sunday of Advent. Our creche is up; our decorating is finished. Now is the time of joyful anticipation, a time of waiting. Waiting is different now than when I was a child. This time is more meaningful now. Happy Advent to all!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Christmas Decorations
Decorating for Christmas never has been a concern of mine. I worked so many Christmas Days and Nights when I was a nurse that decorating became drudgery instead of fun. Taciturn usually pulled newborn nursery call at Christmas so he never decorated, either. For a long time the extent of our decorating was was to plug in a miniature ceramic tree his step sister gave us. In the past few years we bought a Nativity scene and started putting it up on the first Sunday in Advent, not part of my childhood tradition but definitely part of his. So the Nativity scene is fun, but outside of what I've mentioned, there is nothing to see at our house.Two years ago I took a photo of the lonely little tree for my grandchildren. Then two year old GS #2 said, "That's sure a little tree!" Only Son's bride each year decorates a lovely, floor to ceiling tree. If I had a child around here, maybe I would too.
This year, though, I received a new decoration. This stocking was crafted for me when I was a newborn--actually started before I was born--by my grandmother Campbelle, my maternal grandmother. She created one of these for each of her grandchildren. This tradition lasted through all thirteen grandchildren; mine probably was the sixth or seventh she made. Along with the stockings sewn for my brothers,this was found in a sealed box when we cleaned out the basement storeroom immediately after Dad's death.
Granddaughter oohed and awed when she saw it. Someday it will be hers.
Taciturn apparently has something similar given to him as a child. This year we think we will put both of the stockings up on our mantle as a way to recall our past family traditions.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Only Son, Guest Blogger
I had another post ready to go, but then read this post entitled People Who Care Only Son wrote on his blog last night. I'll let him speak here today.
This Thanksgiving I’m thinking quite a bit about my Grandparents who passed away in the last few months. In the past on holidays we have been overwhelmed with the number of places we were expected to go. But now that that is over we are really missing it. It has made me think that I shouldn’t take people who truly care about me for granted. It is so important to know that there are people out there who truly love and accept me no matter what. With friends I am tempted to worry that they might not like me as much if I say certain things or if I truly open up. But with family it is different. I am thinking about my Grandma E who was always delighted to see my family when we came regardless of my political views or whether we said a couple of stupid or annoying things or even if the kids were cranky. So if you have people who truly care about you don’t take them for granted. In this life that is a very precious and rare thing.
How many people live their entire lives and miss this lesson? It is all about love.
This Thanksgiving I’m thinking quite a bit about my Grandparents who passed away in the last few months. In the past on holidays we have been overwhelmed with the number of places we were expected to go. But now that that is over we are really missing it. It has made me think that I shouldn’t take people who truly care about me for granted. It is so important to know that there are people out there who truly love and accept me no matter what. With friends I am tempted to worry that they might not like me as much if I say certain things or if I truly open up. But with family it is different. I am thinking about my Grandma E who was always delighted to see my family when we came regardless of my political views or whether we said a couple of stupid or annoying things or even if the kids were cranky. So if you have people who truly care about you don’t take them for granted. In this life that is a very precious and rare thing.
How many people live their entire lives and miss this lesson? It is all about love.
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