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Welp, day 2 is here already.  I slept like a baby, woke up almost on time and made it to work on time and even stopped at my other place before work.  Easy-peasy commute. And I was actually able to listen to the radio long enough to learn that the new latest diet trick is to floss after eating in place of dessert.  Which leads to my first lesson from today’s move.

Put the floss in an easy/memorable place so you can find it easily.  Do not dig around in one of the containers with the bathroom stuff because undoubtedly there will be a nasty, rusty razor that has been in there for years and you will cut your finger and say to yourself…”what the hell?”  as you bleed all over the keyboard.

Moving on…after work today I went to my DeLand home 🙂 to partake in this, my last Wash-Wednesday (if you remember I have been assigned to Wednesdays as we share the wash machine.)  I’m so used to washing on Wednesdays that even when visiting others (like my mom) I will wait for a Wednesday to wash.  So anyway, while washing I loaded up my car.  I am a good packer.  I use small boxes that fit inside other things and well here is half of what was in my car:

A great thing about piece-mealing this move and only using my car is that it’s easier to unpack a little at a time. I have had offers to use SUV’s and I’m thinking that would be ALOT to unpack at once.  I’ll do it slow and put everything away as I go. That’s like a “sort of” lesson.

Speaking of putting everything away.  Lesson #2 – wash everything that you think is clean in the dishwasher!  So I haven’t had a dishwasher since May 2016.  That’s a little over 2 years.  I have been washing by hand.  You think you are getting things clean.  Especially when the apartment (and blind mother’s house) is dark to begin with.  The lighting is low in both places.  In my DeLand apartment I never realized just how dim it is.  I mean I do realize it when I’m getting ready for work and I think “hey, not bad for an old broad” and then I get to work and look at that same old broad in the work bathroom mirror and scream aloud “WTF!  Who is that?”  So dim lights are good for some things as well as fooling yourself into believing your dishes are clean.  I ran the first load through last night.  Look how sparkly:

Some additional advice on the dishwasher lesson.  #2A Remember as cute as those melamine plates are you have to put them on the top shelf of the dishwasher and in apartment living the top rack is not made for plates.  Slows the process a bit when washing your entire kitchen contents but the results are welllllll worth it.  I can’t believe I haven’t been sick all year.  I must have the healthiest immune system from all the bacteria that has built up in my system.

So let’s move on to Lesson #3.  When faced with having to line your kitchen cabinets cause they’re old or just because you like to do that kind of thing…never ever buy removable/adhesive contact paper.  Spend the extra money and get the shelf paper.  I mean who knew what a disaster that was going to be. I did an o.k. job on the drawers but these cupboards are ridiculously useless – they go way back into corners that I can’t even reach, let alone put contact paper down that’s sticking all over me.  Not being well versed in the contact/shelf paper arena of knowledge I thought I was being a thrifty shopper.  Well, this thrifty shopper is throwing the whole freaking roll out and going back for shelf paper.  And what the hell am I going to put in the back corner of those cabinets that I can’t reach?

Let’s see have I learned anything else?  Maybe this last thing.  When your blind mother is thinking of getting rid of a chair and you decide to keep it because it folds and will fit in your car and you can’t decide if you like it or not…don’t.  I mean I guess it’s cute.  It is a cute chair and kinda beachy. Last night it was stabbing me, the bamboo is coming up, so tonight I put a cushion on it.  I surprised myself by finding a cushion that I had bought for a chair when I lived at the beach the summer of 2016 and well I completely forgot I had it so I thought how fortuitous of me to hang onto something and then use it 2 years later; let’s give it a whirl:

I think that is going to have to be it for today’s wisdom.  My next load of dishes are waiting to be put in the dishwasher before bed – I’m gonna ooh and awe over the clean ones that I have to put away and put in the next load and then I really have to get some sleep.  This moving is a really great work out and soooo exhausting.  If only I end up with killer biceps..

xoxoxo

Here I am!  I’m exhausted and hot – it is mid July in Florida, it’s hot.  I’m not complaining.  I loaded up my car last night and this morning to make the first trip over after work.  It was a quick 30 minute commute.  Really easy. The place is cute.  Just the right size when starting over…again.  The possibilities are exciting.

I’m looking forward to getting settled.  I’ll have more of a personality when the move is all over.  🙂

xoxoxo

I’m back from Virginia.  It’s such a mixed blessing being there.  First of all I never go in the summer, traditionally, because it is way too hot and mom doesn’t believe in AC. It’s evil you know. She says the heat doesn’t bother her.  I will give it to her a little bit because if you sit there under the fan, doing nothing, it really is quite comfortable for the most part.  Even sleeping isn’t bad as the nights cool down to the 70’s and if she turns that attic fan on it pulls in cool air and works really well.  There is a “sleeping porch” but I’m not going out there.  Even though it’s screened in I just don’t trust it (bugs and bats you know).  So with the country in a heatwave crisis last week I wasn’t my usual productive self, washing windows and screens and organizing and going through things like I should be doing preparing for the pending sale.  But what I did do was interview realtors, met with an estate sales person, and then on the last day I cooked two meals (carrot hot dogs that were delicious!) and I cleaned off both porches.  I also bought and planted flowers, made many phone calls and ran errands so I wasn’t completely useless.  She would start to ask me to do something and then said “it’s okay Kerry can do this next week” – I told her Kerry is going to kill me for leaving so much but..hey, one of those days I was actually sick from the heat and had to lay down.  No amount of blind-mother-living-alone-in-the-woods-guilt was going to get me cleaning out files.  I went to my room and lay under the fan and had fever dreams for 20 minutes.

As I left yesterday for the long drive back to Florida (12.5 hours) I was seeing the neighbors on their horses, waved to a couple along the road, saw someone doing ring work up at the corner and I thought back to a year or so ago when I lived there and thought maybe I had found my place and people.  As much as the house now just represents work and bugs to me I do love that area.  I’ve been going there literally my entire life.  It was the very first place I lived as a newborn.  And my friend Lori was living there (now deceased 🙁 ) but I had plans of finding a job, living “close” to mom, not with her but nearby, riding with Lori, finding my people, but as seems to be the theme of my life I was once again uprooted, left and moved back to Florida, apprehensive at best.  Well, everyone knows that story, but you know, parting with this family home is kinda killing a very big part of me.  Part of me gets caught up in the sale of it – being a former realtor myself I get excited when people love it, which everyone does and I see dollar signs.  Seriously people walk in that house with their mouths open and can’t believe how beautiful it is, and it IS beautiful.  It’s literally a work of art. So part of me wonders how we can give up this work of art that our own grandfather built, again literally with his own two hands, and it’s perfect, besides needing maintenance.  The other side of me is so excited about getting my mother out of there that I can’t wait until it’s over.  I’m excited that she is moving “home” to Pittsburgh.  I asked her where she felt more at home, in Goochland where she went to highschool and lives now or in Pittsburgh where she raised us.  She admitted that she has mostly felt like the care taker of that house and that she probably considers Pittsburgh (Sewickley) home. It makes me so happy to think of her back home, with Evan and my sister to check in on her, all the grandchildren around (who will hopefully visit at least once) and of course making my visits easier – one visit home and done.   She can have heat and AC (even though she hates it) and less worries and hopefully no bugs, although you can have those anywhere of course.  My apartment in Moon Township was the buggiest place I ever lived.  But anyway, my thoughts for her future are filled with happiness and relief and I think she’s going to be happy having her family around her. I‘m super excited about that and super sad about ending our time in Goochland.  Zachary had the perfect solution that whoever buys it might turn it into a VRBO or AirBnB and we can stay there once in awhile.  Wouldn’t that be perfect?  But who knows what will happen to it.  And what about Abigail?  The little baby buried at the end of the driveway?  Will the new owners say hello to her every time they pull into the driveway like we do?  Will they plant flowers on her grave?  Will they walk to the creek? One of my favorite realtors, when I told her this certain path led to the creek, walked right down there.  We loved her best because she was so enthusiastic about the property.  She also is living with our cousin so she is sort of almost related.  I told her we would give her a deal if she wanted to buy it because she is family and it would be nice to have a Knibb (my grandfather’s ancestry) in there. But I don’t think it’s a viable option.  And what about the graves of my grandparents and great-grandmother behind Salem Baptist Church which is now the Christian Arabic Church (I’m not kidding – quite a change for this area).  As you can see by this picture they have not given this cemetery any priority.  What do we do about that? How can we leave this area that is our home?  On the other hand, who takes care of my grandmother’s parents graves in Illinois?  I’ve never even seen them.  They don’t have any ancestors taking care of them either.  This life responsibilities, growing old, legacy, like it’s all too much.

I’ve always been searching for my people.  Going back to 9^th grade, Neal Rapp and I started applying to boarding schools.  Okay only he applied but I wanted to go to Boarding school so bad. My parents said no. I didn’t feel like I belonged in that school.  I never ever felt like I belonged in the high school, which is why I never went to it.  I visited the private school in the area, Sewickley Academy once or twice, I don’t know that I felt I belonged there either.  I visited North Allegheny high school once with Jean, they had a smoking lounge for the students.  Can you believe it?.  I never felt like I belonged there.  Wayyy too many people. Plus they all wore makeup!   When I was forced (you know kinda forced) to move to mom’s last year-ish  I had hoped Goochland was going to be where I found my place and people, before that I thought Sunset Beach was going to be my place and people, Palm Harbor was my place and people for a year which was nice, and before that I thought downtown Pittsburgh was my place but not there long enough to find my city people.  Fair Oaks which was definitely my place as in my house and no greater neighbors than Mike and Freida but when they moved away I never recovered.  And well last month I thought maybe New York would be my place and honestly there are so many people there that I bet I could find someone (or two) that would eventually be my people but that’s not an option either…and we all know DeLand is not my place or my people.

In the midst of all this mother business I’ll be moving in 18 days!!  I’m really excited about this move so maybe, just maybe, Port Orange is going to be where my people finally are.  I will give it a year or so and if not, well maybe I’ll end up like my mom and come back “home” – I mean didn’t Dorothy say it best?  There’s no place like home.  It’s been my life’s work to find mine.

xoxox

I think I should run for President, of the United States.  I have lots of ideas.  For instance:

Native Americans – they should live in the National Parks (if they want to) that’s where their reservations should be – but no casinos inside the parks.

Descendants of slaves – descendants should receive shares in the tobacco and cotton industry, the coal industry too- from what I read recently, in the aftermath of the civil war, free slaves were “arrested” for no reason and forced to work in coal mines.

Central American/Mexican illegal immigrants seeking refuge– Let them in.  Let them all in. Really bad ones get sent back. Illegal children that have gone through the US school system K-12 (or 80%) are automatic citizens.   But here’s a perplexing question, after watching Goliath on Amazon and having nightmares for 3 nights in a row, why are these drug cartels so horrible?  What is that mindset?  What is the psychology of that behavior?  What is going on in those minds?  Come to think of it, network television is filled with mysteries based on crimes of extreme horribleness.  Why are they so popular?  This is Us is MUCH better.  Reruns of Friends is pretty good too.

I haven’t figure out climate rules yet  -But Jerry Brown in California has some pretty good ideas according to 60 Minutes.

And Four day work weeks..

And the chef who comes up with the recipes for the Purple Carrot food boxes would be the White House chef during my tenure.

Well, chances are I’m not going to get voted for.  But I have ideas popping into my head all the time these days.  Too bad I don’t have an idea for another book instead.

Other than that, I’m just trying to fill up my 30 more days before I move to my new neighborhood of Port Orange.  I drove over there today and hung out on the beach to read my book. Pretty soon I’ll be able to get there in 15 minutes – instead of 45. It’s so lovely to sit there and read – take a walk if I want. I just can’t tell you how fortunate I feel.

 

After the Painting with a Twist class in Pittsburgh and a little painting project we did at an all day retreat last week, I was inspired to paint a piece of furniture.  I used to do that a lot back in the Fair Oaks days. I haven’t thought about doing that in a long time. Where I work there is all this furniture that no one wants, our warehouse is full (so they say, but never have anything I ask for).  So this little table was going to be thrown out and I was inspired to bring it home and paint it.  It was covered with some sort of textured, like sand, brown/black paint. I think it’s particle board.  It’s not wood for sure.  So look how good I did. I copied the idea from the Brylane Home catalog.  They have a flower table I’ve been lusting after – an end table – that’s $300.  Mine cost $25 in paint and brushes.

Now I have to get through these 30 days without the termites finding it. I had a bulletin board that my mother gave me years and years ago, I had it on the wall.  When I came back from New York I noticed all this sawdust underneath it.  End of the story, the termites found it.  I’m so disgusted with this apartment and the termites.  They could get into my furniture and there’s nothing I can do about it.  I wonder if there is an executive order I can make about termites when I become President?

In the meantime, it’s on to Virginia this week to list the house.  I am having unbelievable anxiety about it. But mom is ready.  I have not heard any hesitation on her end.  I guess when you’re ready you’re ready.  I’M not ready – but she is.

xoxoxox

I was hoping to end my mini-travel blog with a picture of me at the beach today and make comments about how cool my life is; one day in Central Park, the next at the Beach, but I didn’t get out of the house today.  My life still is pretty cool.  I mean I “could” have gone to the beach today, I just chose not to.

My last day in the big city was quiet for being in New York City.  I slept in, got a cup of coffee and sat across the street from the hotel at one of the entrances to Central Park (6^th Avenue) and just watched people and horse carriages until the restaurant opened where I wanted to eat.  There are these “hustlers” – young guys, maybe Latino but could be Italian or Greek or Iranian, I have no idea, but they can get kind of obnoxious pushing the carriage rides, or bikes or whatever it is they were pushing.  As I was walking across the street to get to my park bench one of these very obnoxious but handsome  young  man was checking me out – with like a smile in a good way, didn’t even try to sell me something!  I mean like, seriously?  Well,,,, I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.

Here are my parting pics:

So that’s it – back to the grind tomorrow.

37 days to moving day.  it’s coming right up! A lot can happen in 37 days.  Stay tuned.

xoxoxoxo

It may be a bit premature but I’m ready to pack it in and move to the big apple, as in NYC.  I’m not gonna lie, I have been a bit apprehensive about coming here by myself.  I’m here for a work function.  But the hotel is 3 miles from the meeting/dinner stuff.  Not sure why they booked a hotel way up here EXCEPT that it’s a pretty great location overlooking Central Park.  Although I personally am not overlooking Central Park – I’m overlooking the city…still it’s NYC.  Anyway, anyway, last time I flew into Laguardia I was met by limo drivers, way back in the day when I worked for Thomson Newspapers, who would whisk me away and drive me up to Stamford.  So navigating a cab was the first adventure..pretty easy..and then I got car sick, but to be fair I got a little motion sickness on the plane when we were landing.  Holy shit it was bumpy and he kept turning around, possibly to avoid turbulence, but maybe to confuse us into thinking we were on a ride at Universal Studios.  I was trying to remember the last time I was actually “in” the big city when my taxi driver asked me and at first I said at least 10 years, but I realized it’s probably more like 20.  Ugh…hate to have memories that far back.  Anyway, it was thrilling to be able to pay for that taxi ride with a credit card.  I mean how convenient!! Except I forgot to get a receipt.  Oh well..

So other than making the cab driver walk me across the street cause he dropped me off across the street from the entrance I decided this is no big deal.  It’s a city.  I’ve worked in a city most of my adult life.  You make a left, make a right, find a landmark and go.  And well that’s what I’ve done so far.  I felt like I walked a far way down 5^th Avenue but when I look at a map it was only ½ mile. But that was ½ mile down and ½ mile back.  My shoes are okay but not really supportive for a 3 mile walk.  But how much fun am I?  I mean kinda like Mary Tyler Moore…although a little bigger than Milwaukee.

Here are some of the sights from my afternoon get-acquainted-with-my-area walk:

So I take a cab the three miles to dinner – took almost an hour – and when the cabbie found a workaround he drove so fast that I thought I would cry.  I shut my eyes so many times..I thought I’d throw up…again.  And then we got into almost an argument because, my fault, I thought he passed the place and he yelled at me. I mean I was nice about it,  I was just lost.  But what a ride.  Literally.

Dinner was okay – it was loud – a restaurant called Arte, not great.  I mean seriously disappointing for New York; however, I met some lovely people when I could hear them.  It was very very loud and I couldn’t really hear the person next to me.  However, Jim, who lives in the upper west side, was taking the subway home and he said it went “right-by” our hotel.  Kim at my table was game so we followed him onto the subway home.  I think when New Yorker’s say “right-by” it has a different meaning than what I think of as “right-by”.  We walked through Greenwich Village to catch the subway and got out at Columbia Circle.  Luckily Kim knew where she was going to get back to our Hotel.  I wouldn’t have figured it out.  I asked Kim if she wanted to try the subway in the morning to go back to the meeting and she said “no” – taking a cab.  HA!  Yea, I think I’m with her. It’s just not worth it.  I mean I could get the hang of it if I was here longer but I think I’ll just get that thrilling cab ride tomorrow morning.  It’ll wake me up.

At the end of the day, which it is, I am having a great time.  It’s so fun!

xoxoxo

I think I’m going to make ham bbqs for moving day.  I found this delicious recipe on Allrecipes.com called Pittsburgh Ham Barbecues.  I asked Alexa (mom day present) to find me a recipe for Ham bbq and that’s what she came up with.  Must be Kismet don’t you think?  I asked her for some dinner ideas.  She didn’t come up with ham bbq on her own though.  I just happened to have ham in the fridge.  I’m not exactly sure WHY I had ham in the fridge because it is rare that I eat lunchmeat.  Well anyway I promised my moving helpers that I would feed them and I’ve been stressing about it ever since.  Believe it or not it’s been so long since I’ve entertained I have no idea what to make.  Until tonight.  The only diet restriction for my movers is no dairy so how does this sound: ham bbq’s, macaroni salad, potato chips, maybe deviled eggs (although that might be too much mayo), watermelon and chocolate chip cookies? I think I need a vegetable.  Maybe I should make a green salad too? or maybe a cold green bean salad? Something green. Does that sound delicious for a moving crew?  I guess I need beer.  I mean these people have volunteered to move me in the dead of summer, end of July, in Florida heat.  Maybe I’ll make them some chicken broth to go. I mean I really do make good chicken broth, even in the middle of summer.

So just to confirm, I’m moving at the end of July.  It seems like an eternity.  49 days according to Alexa. I haven’t told my landlord yet.  I’m going to tell him June 15.  I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read my blog.  I’d be in trouble.  I just don’t want to give him too much time and have him kick me out earlier than my place is available.  That happens you know.  I don’t trust the universe just yet.

Well anyway, I’m so excited, so very very excited about the move but I’m trying to maintain. 49 days is a long time.  To pass the time I’m going to be doing some traveling.  Pittsburgh this weekend, NYC next weekend, maybe St. Pete the next weekend and then Virginia.  It’ll help pass the time.

Lots of new stuff happening other than I’m moving. At work my office is also moving (just to another building).  My brother is moving and wait for it….mom is selling the house.  I know. It’s big. So lots of emotions going on.  I’m really happy and relieved that she’s taking this step.  It feels like a huge weight off.  So much easier on so many levels for her, really easier for all of us.  Her plan is to move into something small in Sewickley so if any of you know of a small, one story house, with a place to sit outside, laundry on same floor, call me.  In Sewickley she’ll be around my sister and Evan (granddaughter) and all the babies and it’ll be easier for me not to have to split all the vacation time and just go to Pittsburgh to see everyone in one swoop.  Well actually that won’t help me because I don’t have time to see everyone when I’m there as it is.  It actually won’t help at all.  But maybe I can take more vacation time in one place. I can’t imagine walking out of my mom’s house for the last time.  I can’t bear to think about selling that place, but there’s just no other solution. I spent the first 3 months of my life in that house.  I’ve been going to Goochland County my entire life  Well anyway, I am grateful for my 6 months there last year.  I had decided after that time that I really don’t want to live there.  I love visiting but I would never want to live there.  Not enough sunshine, too drafty,  alright fine…if I had it with the furniture I wanted in it I probably would love it.  I don’t know….but it’s her decision and it’s a very very smart decision.  All these changes.   Oh and the biggest change, I’m going to be 60 next week.  What is happening?????

It’s actually weird seeing all my school-mates on Facebook hitting the same 60 mark that I will be hitting next week.  I’ve gone from not caring at all to full-on freakout (about 6 months ago) complete with anxiety attack to just total acceptance but not really in a good way.  Basically I just don’t want to think about it. It’s just another birthday- I’m still going to celebrate the day for the rest of my life but I don’t think I’ll ever think about an number associated with it again.  The boys and I are going to the Arts Festival on Saturday and then we’re going to do a Painting with a Twist thing on Sunday.  It’ll be so much fun.  Plus I get to see Mya’s graduation from preschool and of course my girls late night at Eat N Park.  I mean we really know how to live. On my actual bday I am celebrating with a dentist appointment.  I’m also going to look at a house for my mom while I’m in Pittsburgh. Kerry already said it’s not a practical house but what the heck I’m looking anyway.  It looks really cute.  Maybe I should buy it for myself.  That would be fun to do.  (living in my head again..)

In the meantime, I’ve picked out a couch and a dog. Both have to wait 49 days minimum. The dog probably a bit longer.  I’m so excited to get another couch.  I’m going to spend an entire weekend stretched out on it. Soooo excited.

xoxoxoxo