tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11344230700922222592024-03-15T19:10:40.614-06:00My So-Called LifeBekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.comBlogger751125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-87705946349446388072024-02-05T08:22:00.002-07:002024-02-05T08:30:10.204-07:00Settled - more or less<p>It has been a long slow slog, with some hiccups along the way. But I've finally got everything put away and all the rooms set up enough to feel settled now. I've done a fair job of getting things in a place where the house feels homey and things are convenient to me. Time to transition from settling, to living and enjoying!<br /></p><p>I did, unfortunately, injure my back while moving some heavy furniture while trying to rearrange the living room. It kept me down for five or so days. Then one day, I just woke up pain free. But I've been cautious ever since and have called on my family when a task is more than I should take on alone.</p><p>It is so nice being so close to the kids. They run over here often and I run over there as well. We have dinners together and just hang out and help each other. And I am definitely benefiting from single level living, with a smaller house and yard. This has fulfilled my needs for downsizing perfectly. I feel up to the task of caring for everything myself. <br /><br />With a week of warmer weather last week, I was checking out the yard, and planning in my head where I will plant flowers. I have two raised beds that would be great for vegetables. But I'm probably going to use them for a perennial garden. There's an area of grass that has died out, mostly due to shade, I think. I plan to remove the remaining small patches of grass there and will put in mulch, a few shade loving plants, and maybe one of those patio swings with a canopy. The small yard is a mix of sunny and shady areas, but definitely a lot of shade. I'm getting excited for warmer weather. For now, I'll plan and dream.<br /></p><p>This week I will clean the house top to bottom. I've been here over two months, and the cleaning so far has been hit and miss. It will feel good to have everything clean and fresh. And I can then establish a new routines for maintenance, similar to what I had at my old house.</p><p>Oh, I still want to get into closets, cabinets, and drawers, and organize and get rid of even more. I tried to do a bit of organizing while I was settling, but some things just got stuck in a closet for me to think about later. I view this as just routine house maintenance stuff though and for now it's all out of sight and out of mind.</p><p>I decided not to post pictures of my house now. I feel ready to have guests, but not necessarily to post pics online. I've developed an anonymity here, having given my address to just a few people. And I'm embracing a low profile life. I suspect I'll be wrapping up this blog soon as well. My next phase of life has commenced and I'm not sure what blogging I'll do after this.</p><p>We'll see.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-31708412618795977472023-12-31T09:48:00.005-07:002023-12-31T09:55:08.393-07:00Welcome 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJewum3X95RNHFnlaPQ80hdAjOfTcZr7cgwdAp8MmF8UQHy8hDExQEZj5_eJC553g2fpwo3K6kvTV52fr82Omy3qup7rhHnnd7r9VdmTrqJHeRaeDbQ4gOTOzU66YvCJ_k2lakZItyMcU28XxGPZG32ffYx7DxZtsyf6E3jZXWswUVXp7fZTlRpbt7FOp/s1000/2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1000" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJewum3X95RNHFnlaPQ80hdAjOfTcZr7cgwdAp8MmF8UQHy8hDExQEZj5_eJC553g2fpwo3K6kvTV52fr82Omy3qup7rhHnnd7r9VdmTrqJHeRaeDbQ4gOTOzU66YvCJ_k2lakZItyMcU28XxGPZG32ffYx7DxZtsyf6E3jZXWswUVXp7fZTlRpbt7FOp/w400-h238/2024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />What a year it has been, 2023. Perhaps one of the hardest years of my life. Sold our parents' house and farm, sold my own house, bought a new, smaller house, and moved in about six weeks ago. That summation sounds so simple. But the year was filled with complications and conflicts I'd rather not get into. I'm in a good place at the end of the year, in spite of it all. I am finally where I need to be for living out my later years. My duties related to the estate will, thankfully, be winding down in the coming months.<br /><p></p><p>One thing I don't plan on this new year's eve, is looking back with nostalgia. Everyone around me wants to reminisce. They drive by the old house. They talk about growing up. They want to keep in touch with high school acquaintances. Etc. Etc. But I'm just not into all of that right now. I only want to look forward. I want to live in the moment. I want to continue to make a better life for myself and Frankie.</p><p>Another thing I don't plan on is specific resolutions. It's enough just to appreciate where I am now and to start each day with a simple idea of what to do in that day. I'm not making lists these days. That could return, I don't know. </p><p> I don't set the alarm to wake up at 5 a.m. anymore. I don't have to drive any kids anywhere in the morning. I don't have any more set obligations. I wake up one or two times every night and sometimes can't get back to sleep easily. So, now I sleep until I wake up naturally in the morning. And I have naps when I'm tired in the afternoon.</p><p>I want to find a new routine in my house for caring for the house and yard, cooking, and hobbies. I've been focusing this week on making sure I'm setting up each room the way I can use it best. I had originally planned on putting the TV in one of the extra bedrooms and the piano in the living room, as I've always done. But this house is different. I finally decided the TV belonged in the living room as it's the darkest room in the house. I am making one of the bedrooms into a music room where my piano and guitars and my vinyl record collection will all reside. Already people walk into the music room and feel an instant positive vibe. It has a large window and lots of light and a comfy sofa and lamps, so just a nice hangout room for many uses. My piano is still at my son's house, and I'm waiting for him to have time to move it. I'm hoping this weekend.</p><p>I ended up putting my office in the other spare bedroom which has the only window that faces the street. I had thought I wanted the music room there. But as it's the smaller of those two rooms, my plan wouldn't have worked. The office, too, has a big window allowing lots of light. The window has a lower sill, and Frankie can sit on a chair and look out as he could at the old house. I have the yellow fold out bed/chair that I used as a bed for the last few weeks at my son's house, and I'll put that in the office along with a cute red cabinet for games and puzzles. There will be room to put up a card table and do puzzles and hobbies. I'll find some sort of ottoman that is just the right height and size for Frankie to watch and doze at his leisure at the window.<br /></p><p>I'm starting to really like and appreciate the kitchen. The sink is in the corner facing two large windows. When I open the blinds, I have a view of my neighbor's bird feeders. How delightful is that! Between the sink and the windows is a large space and even a raised shelf where I can put plants -- maybe herbs. The cupboards are way too high for me to reach the top shelf of four, so I have put the things I use the most on the bottom two shelves with a little overflow onto the third shelf. Then the fourth shelf is for things I use maybe once a year or so, and I can get to those with my step stool. With everything put away now, I still have empty shelves to grow into. Although, I like this lighter feeling of owning less stuff, and I don't plan to fill those up any time soon.</p><p>The kitchen is a square with an entrance about the size of a doorway with a peninsula and no wall separating it from the dining room. It has a lot of counters. I have found the large peninsula counter serves as well as my island at the old house. There is a bit of counter in the corner between the fridge and stove that's separated from the other U-shaped counters. I use that corner for the coffee maker and toaster. I will be adding a bread box and a cute mug rack/coffee station to make it a practical little breakfast station. Everything about the kitchen is very convenient. </p><p>I will be buying a new table for my dining room. The old table belonged to the parents of my late husband and dates back to the 1970s. My daughter is going to take that table that belonged to her dad and grandparents. That seems fitting. I am getting a large expandable table. Surprisingly, I have a bigger dining room at this house and can extend the table further when needed. The layout of living and dining room has made for a good gathering place when a lot of people come over. Some like sitting in the comfortable living room, some like taking snacks and drinks to the table. But we are close and all together in the same room, and no one is left out of the conversations. </p><p>My bedroom was the first room I got set up. I've now got the adjoining bathroom set up and decorated and have arranged things to my satisfaction in the large walk-in closet. I am ordering some light-filtering, full-length (96") curtains for my window that now has just slatted blinds. I have adequate privacy with the blinds, but the curtains will give a softer feel. Not much else to do there.<br /></p><p>And the laundry room -- nothing to say. It's wonderful and convenient. It also has an upper and lower cabinet where I can now store all my surplus cleaning supplies in one place. Next to the laundry, the storage room now hold the boxes of holiday decorations and boxes of my memorabilia scanning project as well as a hanging organizer for brooms, mops etc. My carpet cleaner has a handy spot there as well as my card table and chairs. There is still a bit of space available, but I like it as it is. Especially since I can now easily access holiday decorations when I want them. <br /></p><p>The garage is yet to do. I have a huge shed at one side of the house and I will be able to store lawnmower and many yard tools there instead of the garage. I will also store some fertilizers, etc. there. The former owner left quite a lot of those things, duplicating what I brought with me. This spring and summer, I'll work at using up those supplies, and sharing some with my kids in their yards. I'll also throw out the old patio cabinet she left, as it's pretty beat up, and I'll replace it with one like I had at the old house where I can store hand tools and bird feeders supplies. It's a perfect yard setup. The side of the house opposite the shed is narrow and paved with concrete. It's a perfect place to keep the garbage and recycling bins out of sight. With good weather in the week ahead, I hope to start moving things into the shed now and then install some limited shelving in the garage for things that need to remain there.<br /></p><p>I'll spend the rest of the winter months thinking about what I want to do with the backyard. There are a couple of raised beds big enough to have a good-sized garden. But I think I'll put in a lot of flowers and just a few edibles. I'm not much of a farmer. I won't change the front yard at all -- just trim, mow, and maintain. It's fun to think about this small yard and how I will be able to manage it myself.<br /></p><p>I guess what all of this is saying, is that I'm finding where things should go; I'm getting things arranged in a way that feels like home to me; and I discovering the joy of less work, less responsibility, no stairs, and new-found freedom. It's a fresh start for a new year for me. I am truly looking forward to 2024 with hope and a desire to enjoy the changes my new life offers.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-42449219052985789142023-12-06T18:55:00.001-07:002023-12-06T18:55:52.311-07:00Boxes, boxes, boxes<p> I've been moved in for nearly two weeks and I'm still unpacking. What is all this stuff? I seriously need to get rid of a lot more stuff. I have found the important things, like the coffee maker and most of the dishes and glassware. But there are still more boxes that say kitchen.</p><p>And I'm tired. Getting Covid right before moving left me feeling tired, with a persistent cough, still, after almost three weeks. Some days I can only manage a couple of boxes and some days I'm an unpacking machine. I have no deadline and just have to listen to my body.</p><p>Frankie isn't loving the new house yet. He still wants to go out the garage door instead of the back door when he asks to go out. I don't think it's because he doesn't know. I think it's because he's hoping we get in the car and drive back over to my son's house that was full of people, dogs, noise, and fun. I'm a sorry substitute for all that.</p><p>In the meantime, somebody bought the farm. Literally, we sold the family farm for a remarkable price and very fast. It took us all by surprise, but it was a good outcome for a touchy subject. Some of the family thought the farm should stay in the family. But that was not realistic. And no one person in the family could have matched the price we eventually accepted. Of course, this has once again raised the spectre of a few disgruntled siblings among the beneficiaries. It's exhausting and time consuming dealing with their messages, insults, and accusations. Being still under the weather doesn't help. Judging from history with this bunch, we can expect this to go on for awhile. As a result, I'm also losing sleep again which just makes the cough and general malaise worse. </p><p>I just can't seem to get well and I can't seem to get finished unpacking. It makes it hard to enjoy being in the new house. But I will say one thing: having no stairs has been life changing. I'm having so much less pain.</p><p> Oh, and the new washer and dryer got delivered and set up. I'm happy to have my laundry room right on the same level and so accessible. Yes, these are definitely improvements I'm already enjoying.<br /></p><p>I'll get done. It will take me a few more days, maybe a week, I'm sure. But at least my bedroom is done and all pulled together, so I have one place in the house that feels peaceful. Something of a sanctuary while I recover and try to get settled.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-45793772841963595742023-11-22T09:42:00.003-07:002023-11-22T09:47:37.858-07:00Moving Days<p> I use the plural "days" as I will be moving from today through Saturday. Today, I'll start moving clothing and other items I've had here at my son's house. In the evening, Steve will help me move the yellow chair/foldout bed I've been sleeping on for three plus weeks, which I will use a few more days yet. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we'll take a break from moving. As of tonight, I'll be sleeping in my own house. </p><p>Friday, the big move happens, getting everything from storage to my house. I've fretted about this part for so long, but now I just want it done--come what may. On Saturday we'll move fragile items such as artwork and lamps that we stashed at the very back of the storage unit and didn't want the movers handling, and a few heavier items, like my Yamaha electronic piano I stored at my son's house.</p><p>Of all the possible glitches I had anticipated, I never guessed the family would come down with Covid the week before the move. Yep, first my son became very ill and tested positive. Despite masking and distancing, we, one by one, became I'll. Most of us tested negative, including me. But with identical symptoms, we're pretty sure we all had the same thing. We'd all had boosters a year ago; and although I was overdue for the next one, we all had enough immunity to suffer just one miserable, fevered day. We continue to treat symptoms of sinus congestion and minor cough. But after just a few days, we each felt mostly normal. I am aware of easy fatigue and will definitely pace myself through the move and unpacking. </p><p>This was my first bout of Covid, having managed to avoid sick people for over three years. But in a busy family household, that's nearly impossible. I'm just grateful we all had relatively mild cases. I'd gone to Walgreens just a couple of weeks ago to get my booster, but was surprised to learn they no longer offer vaccinations at that location. Now, it'll have to wait until I'm fully recovered. </p><p>As of now, the house doesn't feel like my own. Cathy moved out two days ago, and the cleaners were there yesterday morning. I picked up a few groceries to stock the fridge and pantry. The whole family and dogs came over in the evening to see the place for the first time. Everyone was excited to see it. The dogs were running around, inside and out. I think, once I see my own furniture there, it will start to feel like home. </p><p>There are things I will change in the house, of course. It needs painting--almost every room. I'll have carpet replaced in the living and dining rooms, probably with LVP flooring. The kitchen is dark, and I may get the cabinets painted. The door to the backyard is a slider, and I'll change it out for French doors. I'll make better use of the storage area by adding flat pack shelving sections, some with doors. I'll do some brainstorming to organize the garage and shed so it's still possible to park two cars in the garage. All of these things will happen over time as I get the inspiration. </p><p>Most of all, I intend to get a door put on the primary bathroom! For some reason, the developer in this area designed an open arch doorway between the primary bedrooms and adjoining baths. With the saving grace of putting the toilet in a water closet room with a door for some privacy, at least. What's the deal with no doors on bathrooms? Who thought that would be a good idea? </p><p>I have brought a new washer and dryer which will be delivered in three weeks. I do have a nice laundry room that will allow me to set up an ironing board and also have a flat surface for folding. It will be so nice, at last, not to carry laundry up and downstairs. </p><p>My new residence will slowly appear as I settle and make it my own. No rush. I can go at a comfortable pace. When the house is presentable, I'll post a few pictures. It could be awhile. </p><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-57969738583265488602023-10-26T05:35:00.006-06:002023-10-26T11:04:44.270-06:00Plans to Move - in 29 days<p>My seller has made her arrangements for moving out on Tuesday before Thanksgiving -- Just four weeks away. I will be moving on Thursday the 24th, the day after Thanksgiving. I have the movers hired and now it's a matter of preparing and waiting. It's a relief to finally have the final phase of this big transition in my life scheduled. The goal is in sight.</p><p>The seller is having cleaners in to clean the house after she moves, so I will be able to move right in. She's a fastidious housekeeper and the house is already immaculate. I'm sure it will get dirty when they move all the furniture and boxes in. But once everything is inside, I can begin figuring out where I want to keep things, and clean and arrange as I go. I look forward to that phase. I will be in my own house with my own privacy and my own time schedule. I can work at my own pace and get comfortable in my new surroundings.</p><p>But for now, I need to move out of the comfy big bedroom for my last few weeks here at my son's. The grandma from Brazil arrives on Sunday and I want her to move right into the bedroom where she will stay, possibly for a couple of months. I am halfway out the door anyway, it should be me who moves all my stuff downstairs for this short term. It will work out, I'm sure. This is a busy household, and I don't want to get in anyone's way, so I will keep my stuff in a small living room they use very little and sleep on a foldout bed. I'll do my best to keep it all tidied up so it's not too obnoxious. I'm sure they will be relieved when I do finally move all my stuff out of here. I've stashed things all over the place -- things I didn't want to risk having the movers handle, or things that I didn't want to store in the storage unit. It will free up a lot of space again in this lovely house.</p><p>The kids and grandkids have all been so good to me and accommodating while I've been here. It has made this time much easier. And, honestly, with so much going on, the time has passed quickly. I make dinner many nights, clean up the kitchen, do errands and drive my grandson, and take care of the dogs. I still have time to watch some of my streaming services, but not as much, really. I'll be doing more of that when winter sets in and I have my cozy TV room all set up.</p><p>I've loved living in a two-dog house. Frankie and Sophie are such opposites in size and personalities. But they play together and get along so well. They are always doing something to make me laugh. We will all miss having a two-dog house when I move. Especially the dogs, I think.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesLqKGVUeKUCBHFmR3AgZzeyq0e1-nM0qAvz9ZMFIK3ZiWkJI2TgKXvqFLJVR-Hcbnc5lChjA6zdN3l5_vRwhuzBsfprwIXoMxnfEywSlfcsVgvJF_q8gom3s7Tm8eTINxqlk2wwtiw4l3esaCzCTt84D_GbmggMm_fkUX2PJ1PzCxBUnHTktHGAa53Uu/s1150/Dog54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1150" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesLqKGVUeKUCBHFmR3AgZzeyq0e1-nM0qAvz9ZMFIK3ZiWkJI2TgKXvqFLJVR-Hcbnc5lChjA6zdN3l5_vRwhuzBsfprwIXoMxnfEywSlfcsVgvJF_q8gom3s7Tm8eTINxqlk2wwtiw4l3esaCzCTt84D_GbmggMm_fkUX2PJ1PzCxBUnHTktHGAa53Uu/s320/Dog54.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSnb9pZ6D72ImTTIckA5zV9I43YYBhGPkOI1zkh-GJD4FYWm7CPcKuNfH6yHIBQCusBvstEterfaF153IzetA0gMVLUYUYX-tuNumBShxgL8uWUYm61StG78d2vqQCo1jndbtzTECrlDD3E6cTP7izFOnpGLdtjCgH8ofOgSXNWhPHbAGjXuGecTwmT1i/s863/Dogs0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSnb9pZ6D72ImTTIckA5zV9I43YYBhGPkOI1zkh-GJD4FYWm7CPcKuNfH6yHIBQCusBvstEterfaF153IzetA0gMVLUYUYX-tuNumBShxgL8uWUYm61StG78d2vqQCo1jndbtzTECrlDD3E6cTP7izFOnpGLdtjCgH8ofOgSXNWhPHbAGjXuGecTwmT1i/s320/Dogs0.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFPIgRUXZ-ukq01B4KW_2VobVmJg2Ia6HNkDAAEXnkf_Zmx2vJaFOL46JaqGCQ7JI3ELJ-eMjDH-8BCVcU-54c8G9_jIb8xXo65zr8CUQQttlyiYJZCUDtMUIFbjHdn9pBdejKWEdEMFmrN1f-nl9Q9v-ccP0VpwXwiQxX17aXC0ADI2Rmz98QpZMedcS/s863/Dogs4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="754" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFPIgRUXZ-ukq01B4KW_2VobVmJg2Ia6HNkDAAEXnkf_Zmx2vJaFOL46JaqGCQ7JI3ELJ-eMjDH-8BCVcU-54c8G9_jIb8xXo65zr8CUQQttlyiYJZCUDtMUIFbjHdn9pBdejKWEdEMFmrN1f-nl9Q9v-ccP0VpwXwiQxX17aXC0ADI2Rmz98QpZMedcS/s320/Dogs4.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2di0dVYxGCz6Fo2qqmuS4ck0k5lOmif13-Z52cHb3QXldaX3Xm0-s-T7qIyiWnM1YqIo92umNISbjHHjnG_ZHiaqkP2T0mUL9XNLXiC8bGnoXoZpT7XhvYWGrCG0G9rLRHalY9MUGM8hLDH_V5JE886sXhaSCIXHAFKTxqzfoxvqPWDKUKxGs4n7nnRD-/s1150/Dogs9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1150" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2di0dVYxGCz6Fo2qqmuS4ck0k5lOmif13-Z52cHb3QXldaX3Xm0-s-T7qIyiWnM1YqIo92umNISbjHHjnG_ZHiaqkP2T0mUL9XNLXiC8bGnoXoZpT7XhvYWGrCG0G9rLRHalY9MUGM8hLDH_V5JE886sXhaSCIXHAFKTxqzfoxvqPWDKUKxGs4n7nnRD-/s320/Dogs9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Now, I'll count the days and look forward to Thanksgiving more than I ever have before.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-56264907610576752712023-10-15T12:06:00.002-06:002023-10-15T12:06:52.945-06:00A homeowner once again<p> On Thursday, I signed the papers to close on the house purchase, and wired a large sum of money to pay in cash. On Friday, the sale was funded and I officially became a new homeowner once again.</p><p>The former owner will stay in the house until December 1st and will rent from me during that time. I'm very happy to report she did find a house near her daughter and may even move out as early as Thanksgiving weekend. But that still puts me around the 1st for my own move. Now I have to do what I need to do to get through the next six or seven weeks or so. I will be vacating my current bedroom for the grandma from Brazil, who will arrive in two weeks. I'll move into the little formal living room that isn't used much and will sleep on a pull out bed. I insisted on this arrangement as I have enjoyed the big bedroom for 10 weeks now and I can tolerate a few weeks on the pullout. It's all good, knowing there is an end in sight. </p><p>The pressure is off now. I don't have to scan real estate postings and lose sleep wondering what the future holds. I am mentally moving into my new place -- arranging the furniture, planting flowers, sipping coffee on the patio. <br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-33955863037755132412023-09-30T08:30:00.002-06:002023-09-30T08:41:11.508-06:00Under Contract<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLFRLunwL99NLupqHWuwUezMratiUQOqJ2L_OiNjo40M28yMeKFMn-08u_Wu2BnTAji2o22GMK5qcQxlZFnMj603XBhyOk8-E8lddHibXPzdODWjWeuHoEZ6flgg1IHA5kodZusjCYuG68cIm08yzf1-RQ4lr2rZdIO79YQNLi6D3rIpmMGx2qqAeaiPA/s1025/2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1025" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLFRLunwL99NLupqHWuwUezMratiUQOqJ2L_OiNjo40M28yMeKFMn-08u_Wu2BnTAji2o22GMK5qcQxlZFnMj603XBhyOk8-E8lddHibXPzdODWjWeuHoEZ6flgg1IHA5kodZusjCYuG68cIm08yzf1-RQ4lr2rZdIO79YQNLi6D3rIpmMGx2qqAeaiPA/w400-h266/2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>After weeks of disappointment, with nothing new coming on the market and nothing but dead ends on my creative thinking, I finally found a house -- through word of mouth! Yes, the house was not listed and was for sale by owner. My sister learned of the house through a co-worker in just a happenstance conversation. It turned out to be a really lovely and sweet little home, exactly what I'd been looking for. No compromises needed at all. </p><p>It's owned by a woman who is retiring and moving to the other end of the state to be near her daughter in her old age (like me). It's just four blocks from both of my sons who live in Foxboro. It's around 1400 square feet, on a quiet, tree-lined street on a cul-de-sac, in a neighborhood of homes about 14 years old. It has three bedrooms and two baths, a nice little yard with a shed and fully finished landscaping. The owner has added many nice features and the property is immaculate inside and out, ready to move in. The price she was asking was in the lower middle of my budget (perfect). </p><p>I viewed the house on Monday, made an offer on Thursday, and was accepted on Friday. Next week is due diligence, and we close on October 10th.</p><p>Just one issue: the woman is retiring in December and needs to work through December 1st. That means I can't move in until after the 1st. We actually gave her until the 8th as she works for a city and may have election duties if there are any issues with the special election in November. But her real hope is to move most of her things on Thanksgiving weekend, if she can and just keep a few things to get by until the first. I sure hope that can happen. She will pay weekly rent until she moves, so there is some incentive to move sooner.</p><p>Meanwhile, I am looking at another 10 weeks before I can occupy my new home. I've been living at my son's for 8 weeks now, and it has been very comfortable and nice for all of us. I help out with making dinner most nights, drive my grandson so and from school, doing some cleaning, and looking after the dogs (and being generous with paying "rent" and eating out). Frankie loves it here so much. He's become great friends with 2-year old lab Sophie. And my son Steve is Frankie's favorite person in the world, even before me! So it would all be fine for 10 more weeks, except for an unexpected complication.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlHGs7PkQNC7npdKxSfvkjrIKYWaROWWFt34VcbJHFYm7Ak5S-DNtr4niB27PFjhuPZnJKXkZsv7KxSpUVthJbiXnvyqkBz9qnWwU-ZOiQ2eQRNG6M3krxyLC7BIkJTHOSA0mEYzQViAyTjxI6f-wRJ_sI3jukdZZm6MiWK-49XjKjK-kQkdRRxn7OaGh/s1835/PXL_20230904_170539914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1835" data-original-width="1604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlHGs7PkQNC7npdKxSfvkjrIKYWaROWWFt34VcbJHFYm7Ak5S-DNtr4niB27PFjhuPZnJKXkZsv7KxSpUVthJbiXnvyqkBz9qnWwU-ZOiQ2eQRNG6M3krxyLC7BIkJTHOSA0mEYzQViAyTjxI6f-wRJ_sI3jukdZZm6MiWK-49XjKjK-kQkdRRxn7OaGh/s320/PXL_20230904_170539914.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXit3ZBYhXA572v-UNwDya9U3j7CjW6ih32MtCkj_JBm9QYDaGQTT8mkQ4_1BWrY7JYc7PDbSyagE6aF-zDFLGdm_j7RcR1QOB9qbGhGCUatFC-OfwRHhr6aOZeOiKuRmYPnOoUoyd5YkbWB3rd7KJpFa2_MDHyP_ycxe-X_kcF047DgobCq_V1C984nO7/s2592/PXL_20230918_172936169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXit3ZBYhXA572v-UNwDya9U3j7CjW6ih32MtCkj_JBm9QYDaGQTT8mkQ4_1BWrY7JYc7PDbSyagE6aF-zDFLGdm_j7RcR1QOB9qbGhGCUatFC-OfwRHhr6aOZeOiKuRmYPnOoUoyd5YkbWB3rd7KJpFa2_MDHyP_ycxe-X_kcF047DgobCq_V1C984nO7/s320/PXL_20230918_172936169.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>My daughter in law's mother was planning to come from Brazil in December to fulfill her obligatory stay as a resident with green card now. However, when they found air fares to be thousands of dollars higher in November and December, they decided she needed to come the end of October. That means both mothers will be here for the full month of November plus a few days. The bedrooms are all taken, so some creative thinking has been going on. </p><p>One easy option would be for me to move to my daughter's house. But it's a 20-minute drive away and I really don't want to be that far away. We can use a pull-out style bed here in one of the non-bedrooms for overnight use, but we all disagree where that would go. I want it to be my bed and I would like it to be in the downstairs family room or little living room as it would save me the many trips up and down the stairs I'm now doing every day (difficult and painful). It would not be hard to keep it folded up and tidy during the day. But my son believes it's too cold at night downstairs and wants everyone to sleep on the upstairs bedroom level. He would put the other mother on the foldout in the office which is already crowded with three desks and office stuff. I don't want to see her have to sleep there. I really want to give up the nice bedroom I have now for the other mom, stash my stuff in the little living room that is used very little, and set up the pullout bed in the family room. I'm hoping I can convince my son. He's pretty stubborn about having his way in this.</p><p>So we haven't really resolved this part of it yet. And it's a relatively short period in the bigger scheme of things. It may tax some of our patience. But, at least we have options and I won't be homeless.</p><p>I do hate that my stuff remains in storage. And, although the monthly bill isn't large, the storage unit is an outdoor unit and I worry that bugs or spiders, and maybe even mice could get in and infest my belongings. There's no point worrying now, though, since the stuff has been there two months already and will be for two months more. Any critters able to get in are probably already there. I can only deal with that when the stuff gets moved to the new house.</p><p>Just to make things interesting, after months with just one really awful one-level home coming on the market in Foxboro, three houses came on the market within one day of my viewing the house I'm buying. But one house is smaller while close in price and not nearly as nice. Plus it backs onto a noisy school playground. The other two are bigger by 300 and 400 sq. ft., and around $40k more than I'm paying. While I would have considered the two larger homes under different circumstances, they would be at the very top end of my budget. I'm glad I found this just-right home at the just-right price. These listings only validate that my purchase price is a good one and my house is a very good choice.</p><p>Nothing is ever simple. There always have to be complications. But I'm very happy with this purchase and looking forward to moving in and living in my new home. </p><p>NOTE: The pictures I've posted are from an archived listing from 10 years ago. The trees behind and in front are now tall and provide much shade and privacy. Also, shutters, door, and garage door have been painted a soft sage green now. The kitchen has been upgraded with quartz countertops and new backsplash, and new concrete pad has been poured, and many other nice extras. The owner had not expected to be moving until a year ago when her daughter's family suddenly moved to southern Utah. I am the lucky recipient of the upgrades she made thinking she would be staying long-term.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUM7s1wdvZa2_RRr2sGU2hs1nornCzDOWz60UT79-Pd3Os_jDXUQiMzIjmbLSMj7tf3ZEi_BV9p3vFYSM64rk5RuzOTxLzlFr5ToQiaESRLNMJ65dnVFvPtGwfauXfbidsdRCuBMmEMgGnjNU5wIbInFdoP9YM4dmVAZRoNjoG2auKUYyZRMC6rkDDiAk/s1211/1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1211" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUM7s1wdvZa2_RRr2sGU2hs1nornCzDOWz60UT79-Pd3Os_jDXUQiMzIjmbLSMj7tf3ZEi_BV9p3vFYSM64rk5RuzOTxLzlFr5ToQiaESRLNMJ65dnVFvPtGwfauXfbidsdRCuBMmEMgGnjNU5wIbInFdoP9YM4dmVAZRoNjoG2auKUYyZRMC6rkDDiAk/w400-h225/1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmB7IDyi1PtKyBbl0RaawCbAncDkMQespoVqoJqK1GQVoCYdsnyqhxPCUHs9LTRTtzg-qPfStmXzULHlSU5zOkxvog6Yl1aRyS8az9h6QQc-qsrx9aomegeTpgKGJtrQwwBk3m3auYPkSylYSFlPb_vXVlH_41ZBsQrB3CMtuu3U5gnZ0AbFmk70EnP5-6/s1026/4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1026" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmB7IDyi1PtKyBbl0RaawCbAncDkMQespoVqoJqK1GQVoCYdsnyqhxPCUHs9LTRTtzg-qPfStmXzULHlSU5zOkxvog6Yl1aRyS8az9h6QQc-qsrx9aomegeTpgKGJtrQwwBk3m3auYPkSylYSFlPb_vXVlH_41ZBsQrB3CMtuu3U5gnZ0AbFmk70EnP5-6/w400-h264/4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7Ai33csOaRH-J0YdPzmGwT_95sh1nmEwLGuIceXgFTsre-y6UcADH4opLLAQUuODPywePhpMBnP74j3LH_dssS_lYu3jUXKW1xBP_MYgQjiZBs8eX2hvYry0VE3_aeRw3b5OqgNz2uPvcU6cxxcgaTMjoPvU4QxCwU7xNmfWxN55AMq80KpptIygYnIM/s1034/5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1034" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7Ai33csOaRH-J0YdPzmGwT_95sh1nmEwLGuIceXgFTsre-y6UcADH4opLLAQUuODPywePhpMBnP74j3LH_dssS_lYu3jUXKW1xBP_MYgQjiZBs8eX2hvYry0VE3_aeRw3b5OqgNz2uPvcU6cxxcgaTMjoPvU4QxCwU7xNmfWxN55AMq80KpptIygYnIM/w400-h264/5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5iss1Rlw-zdp7x3Ce5ikvcuOiTx8gSMgM6VgroA85geHec5sfznan-TTRnGSZuB3z4PQSo4qDuLIcc6QAqDIyzI8MF9M3BKytsH3JrrdBkbMpGyQLsCOmF50lrDtRV8Vdl_lany_G2xIhQ2KgNM8EEmHOc-hn8Aqmi8cCTWK48NJ_8nep6gZhFlxM9X1/s1021/15.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1021" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5iss1Rlw-zdp7x3Ce5ikvcuOiTx8gSMgM6VgroA85geHec5sfznan-TTRnGSZuB3z4PQSo4qDuLIcc6QAqDIyzI8MF9M3BKytsH3JrrdBkbMpGyQLsCOmF50lrDtRV8Vdl_lany_G2xIhQ2KgNM8EEmHOc-hn8Aqmi8cCTWK48NJ_8nep6gZhFlxM9X1/w400-h266/15.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-47406953730822749492023-08-23T11:42:00.000-06:002023-08-23T11:42:12.148-06:00Limbo<p> I'm now biding my time at my with my son, daughter in law, and two grandsons, who have generously and graciously put me up temporarily while I look for a house. I'm doing my best to help out financially and with cooking, weeding, and other things around the house. But I find I have a lot of free time on my hands. This is such a change -- almost a shock -- after weeks of constant, hurried activity. But we are all getting along great and I'm getting used to the down time. Frankie is loving it here around so many of the people he loves and going on walks every day. We have had a small problem with their 2-year old, 90 lb. lab eating his dinner, as Frankie has a habit of ignoring his dinner until he decides he wants to eat. Now, if he doesn't eat right away, I have to put the dish up until later. In the meantime, Sophie has learned to be a good girl and wait while he does eat. But the second he finishes, she's over there cleaning every last lick of the bowl. The dogs are very good together otherwise.</p><p>I went to look at a house last week. But it was a former rental and in poor condition. Especially the backyard which was such a total wreck, it would take thousands of dollars just to clear it and put down sod. Just too many projects inside and out. And it's a very tiny house, and on a main entry into the subdivision, which I don't like. It's the very low end of both size and finishes of this type of house in the neighborhood, and not really what I want. So I'll keep looking. </p><p>After a long summer with no single level houses coming on the market, we seem to have returned to the former routine of one new listing a week. If that continues, eventually one will come up that's right for me. </p><p>There's a house just three doors away from my son where the people have been moving stuff out of the house using a small trailer for the past three days. We are curious if they are slowly moving and possibly selling, and we're keeping a close eye. We don't know the people, so we've refrained from being nosy. However, if they happen to be outside when we're walking, I think we'll stop and chat. It would be far too convenient to find a house just three doors away. But anything is possible. This house is at the opposite end of the scale when it comes to size and quality of houses. It's much bigger and has a beautiful finished yard. Far more aesthetically pleasing outside, and I'm assuming much the same inside. Obviously, it will be higher priced, but I believe still within my price range. *wishing / hoping* There are many houses of a more in between size, layout, and finishes, and I would be happy with one of those as well. I don't need a really big house like this one. But I don't want a little cracker box either.<br /></p><p>There is no way to speed up this process. I tried posting a comment on the neighborhood group on FB to see if there were any homes coming up. But that didn't go well as it attracted some troll-ish comments. I won't do that again, but will just wait this out. The kids are in no hurry to get rid of me and want to see me in a house I like. </p><p>So, it's sort of a limbo. But Frankie and I are enjoying our stay here and making the most of the opportunity to be supportive and helpful. <br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-101168057511431672023-08-10T16:52:00.002-06:002023-08-10T16:52:49.655-06:00Moved<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6uFIeZcRhoWhUaQhQZ6J65vdL4vIiGrQP7bI49aoPRnb1BAv8XPHCpQIwWmFwbBqJAb3Up5iBHsuh0Y95pXG5dFlmafUPGgiqSIHoDEtbO7Lqe7PJKNrN_Wn28Yy4W_LeD3mqYCqgsabWk6NZcXBOdUfwEJ7Bu69jtvhZWgnFyuF0uR8wknzGUW7ibva/s2592/PXL_20230807_214401067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6uFIeZcRhoWhUaQhQZ6J65vdL4vIiGrQP7bI49aoPRnb1BAv8XPHCpQIwWmFwbBqJAb3Up5iBHsuh0Y95pXG5dFlmafUPGgiqSIHoDEtbO7Lqe7PJKNrN_Wn28Yy4W_LeD3mqYCqgsabWk6NZcXBOdUfwEJ7Bu69jtvhZWgnFyuF0uR8wknzGUW7ibva/w400-h300/PXL_20230807_214401067.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> It was a gargantuan effort with the help of all my local children and grandchildren. At one point, it felt like I couldn't possibly meet the deadline. I had agreed to close a day sooner as the buyers were so excited to be in their new house. I left it as clean as I possibly could in the time allowed. There were things I had planned to do that never got done. But it's all over now. <p></p><p>The movers came on Monday and put everything into the storage unit. That went very smoothly and pretty fast as well because of the preparations we had made. The storage unit was just the right size with a little room to spare. I don't know how I lucked out choosing the movers and storage, as I'm completely a novice at that and had no time to learn, and very few options to choose from. It was luck.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAbZ4mSDFw8hdk50EUL31wWufouOgH5dhbZi_O90umkkHhQV5WJBHq-vtqolXB0RlIDj7pM2-KGZYk0ydeGQ8hxPtxdsmZzToTkA2e-Tcf4H5HJNgo5qW4EpfOe9lgXsjQnoV0fCq-5RDdIq73116lpd6DXY_X5gYArruLKljA7gsZDZ_7p2a3kbLE8dF/s2592/PXL_20230807_185338195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAbZ4mSDFw8hdk50EUL31wWufouOgH5dhbZi_O90umkkHhQV5WJBHq-vtqolXB0RlIDj7pM2-KGZYk0ydeGQ8hxPtxdsmZzToTkA2e-Tcf4H5HJNgo5qW4EpfOe9lgXsjQnoV0fCq-5RDdIq73116lpd6DXY_X5gYArruLKljA7gsZDZ_7p2a3kbLE8dF/w300-h400/PXL_20230807_185338195.jpg" width="300" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Tuesday, I signed a million or so papers to complete the closing. It is quite a process. The money reached my bank yesterday, Wednesday. Also yesterday, I finished getting all the utilities switched over and address changes made at the bank and other places I do regular business with. I had submitted the address forwarding to the post office a week earlier.</p><p>One very remarkable thing about this move: I did it without really writing any list. Me, the maker of lists. Hard to believe.<br /></p><p>I did have my original list of 80 things to do that I had created a year or so ago. But that was just the things to get the house ready. With the move itself, I just did everything on the fly and didn't have time to think much about anything. Every day, I had a motto of "do something, anything." It was chaotic and stressful. Not my cup of tea. But, somehow, it all happened on time.</p><p>And now, a day later, I'm living in my son's house temporarily hoping for one last bit of luck. My son's family is really wonderful to me. My daughter in law is more of a daughter. The grand kids are my longtime summer buddies, and it is just a good place for me to be. Their big, gregarious yellow lab, Sophie, gets along with Frankie, but she's only 2 and Frankie's an old guy, prefers to sleep over playing. And we do have a small problem of Sophie eating Frankie's dinner if he hesitates. But we're working that out.</p><p>I don't want to overstay my welcome. The number of those one level houses has dropped to zero over the summer. One finally appeared in the listings. But it's not really to my liking. It's the smallest, cheapest of the houses they built in the neighborhood, with a tiny galley kitchen and a minimal number of cabinets. But I'm starting to think I should at least look at it and see if it might do with some modifications.</p><p>I'm impatient. I want to finish this move. I'm only halfway there.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-29424460083337971312023-07-24T08:25:00.001-06:002023-07-24T08:32:34.174-06:00Getting Ready to Move<p> It's so hot! 104 yesterday and 106 the day before. A string of 100s or near 100 ahead. It's not a great time for moving.<br /></p><p>It's organized chaos at the moment. I have managed to rent a storage unit and have hired movers. I will be moving out on August 7th, which leaves the 8th for cleaning or other last minute things, and the 9th is the closing on the sale.</p><p>I have less than two weeks to pack everything up. As a person who needs order and sense in how I go about things, packing feels chaotic and causes brain disturbances. But I can't delay. Everything needs to be in boxes before the movers get here. The plan I have finally settled on is to set aside the clothing I need for the next two weeks and for my stay at the kids' house. Set aside just the cleaning supplies I need for the next two weeks (throw away anything old, and pack up the rest). Set aside the kitchen items I need for the next two weeks. I will stop cooking except with microwave. I have a supply of paper plates that I'll use. I have food in the freezer and fridge that I'll continue using until the Saturday before I move. Then the kids can have it or I'll take it to the food bank. I'll keep the coffee maker and coffee cups available for now. This frees me up to pack almost everything in the house and garage.<br /></p><p>In the meantime, I'm giving away some furniture and other items. My kids will be picking up all the stuff they are taking this coming Saturday. They will move my yard furniture and decor to Steve's house for storage rather than have the movers move it. I'll plan to move my artwork into storage myself as I fear the movers will break it. By the time all these things have left my house, it should take the movers just a couple of hours to move the remaining furniture and boxes. My storage unit is five minutes away, so that part of the move should go smoothly if I have all the packing done. The moving company will do packing for me as well, but at $200 per hour, I'd prefer to do it myself.</p><p>Now I need a home. I'm watching every day but so far nothing. There is talk that interest rates will go up again this week. That will discourage sellers because they can't afford to move if they have good interest rates where they are living now. But I will be fine at my kids' until something comes up.</p><p>With the streak of good fortune I've had so far in getting my house both ready to sell and sold, I feel like one more little favor from the universe might be not too much to ask.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-48179759226384987662023-07-18T07:35:00.001-06:002023-07-18T14:21:28.939-06:00Every Room, Every Day<p> UPDATE: Just a few short hours after posting this entry, I received a full price offer with closing in 3 weeks. Of course, contingent on appraisal and inspection. I am stunned! Houses like mine are lingering weeks without selling. Mine sold in exactly one week. I need to get busy and find a new place to live. Or arrange for storage of my things while I move in with my son temporarily. <br /></p><p> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, hard work, and surprises. A week ago, I listed my house for sale. Things came together fast somehow after dealing with a major attack of elm seed bugs and a four week stay from my granddaughter. I was sure the bugs were going to keep me from listing, but I have finally achieved victory against those horrid things. Others across northern Utah might like to know my formula, but that will be a different post -- probably on social media. As for my granddaughter's stay, I have made family a priority throughout the process of getting my house ready to sell, because that's always the right thing.</p><p>But, at last, my house is listed, in the slowest time of the summer, right between a federal and a state holiday when many people are vacationing and not thinking about houses. When houses similar to mine are lingering for 6 to 8 weeks before getting offers. But, surprise! The first people toured my home last evening, and they "absolutely loved it!" They wanted time to think it over and possibly submit an offer today. Whether that offer comes or not, this is a major victory for me. My hard work has resulted in exactly the response I'd planned and hoped for. </p><p>I have worked to make the house shiny clean, and to give each room and
area some wow factor. I've used color, staging, and minimizing but not
too much. I realized that not everyone would appreciate my taste in
colors. But every room showed to its best potential with those colors.
The bedrooms are calm and inviting. The bathrooms are glistening clean. The TV room and family room have an air of fun and games. The kitchen is
big and clean with lots of wonderful conveniences for cooking together. The dining room has a cozy, conversational feel with a pretty patio
view. The living room looks out on endless views and invites you to sit
and stare. The yard, despite being on a corner with no fencing, has a
feeling of seclusion and being in a park or in the mountains, with
mature trees, lots of perennials, just enough grass, and multiple
gathering places for entertaining or relaxing. The garage is big and
clean and well-lit with lots of storage shelves. I specifically arranged each area to elicit the response "I love this!"</p><p>Right now, my body hurts everywhere, every way. But, I feel so good about the first showing, I am ignoring the pain. People keep asking me if I will be sad to leave my long-time home. But, they don't understand that when a house causes you unnecessary pain every day because of stairs and a sloping hillside, it will be a welcome relief to be in a new place without stairs. And I will certainly make that place lovely to live in as well.</p><p>My mantra now is Every Room, Every Day. My house is very clean now, but I have to keep it up. I do touch up dusting and vacuuming every day, wipe down all the bathroom fixtures and glass, keep the kitchen spotless, and tidy up the backyard. In addition, I am focusing on one room a day to do any more extensive cleaning needed there, and to continue reducing contents of closets, drawers, shelves, and vanities. The more I reduce, the less I have to move. I do have a couple more projects: grout the tub and clean the oven. I'll get those done one day soon. </p><p>I have to stand back and admire my work now. I don't know how I did it all. It took a long time, and left me a little broken physically from the work. I'm going to just post all the pictures the realtor posted online just so I have then and can pull them up and view when I want to. </p><p>Now, to find a new place to live! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4J7hsGK0S1MOpWykFfy-FTS-UnQF7STA_0bYeOoJ1ES2ArRIwDsZy-ehcD4zeMlTXf_TEwBRaJJPOz017Vz5rsH7hsJfizm-pifI2BKy22yKN0EA7oOuScIakPHufPoZtvTY7p8b6iZQJdFctu4U8xjGJisdv5OYtlCx_ir4OD8YWeLT5zaHLm4r-eMe/s640/01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="640" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4J7hsGK0S1MOpWykFfy-FTS-UnQF7STA_0bYeOoJ1ES2ArRIwDsZy-ehcD4zeMlTXf_TEwBRaJJPOz017Vz5rsH7hsJfizm-pifI2BKy22yKN0EA7oOuScIakPHufPoZtvTY7p8b6iZQJdFctu4U8xjGJisdv5OYtlCx_ir4OD8YWeLT5zaHLm4r-eMe/s320/01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5x0YpSLeX3PVoZM_lKKRu3wyGQUFbknvtNIGBgjY-RFnBf-0ss4e4NoWPPvnYa6UVyxzfBHPT0vW97keWm9ASZJPceXMH4eHAPX4nS6us59Z6CcCkjrm_qYoE8oL_s7vTvbZbANBZjEJpMy1JxlOL5C9eLER3_rN8gGDiCIOagYH5kN398BqyQcRKI7cz/s640/02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgvCUfXMRCq8SyODI3jsZV3Z42ei8tvKjY9Z_7OzM2grFtkjo-TJdbcxmyolVMv0E0Z1cnvG9vpwdOVRSqmi4ttBHHP0OAvMxWOzWys_zUU13QGFmZrhfVv-IA2DcTezaoqY2Z7QICgiH_Ea6oTLKJE982QY7AlgSV_wkwGt7dFSNlb_fIawhX64qVQ/w280-h400/The%20Beginning%20Is%20Here.jpg" width="280" /></a><br /></p><p> Ever since we sold mom's house and finally closed in February, I
have felt I am so close to having my own house ready to sell. But it
seems like one thing after another happens to set me back.</p><p>Speaking
of back, one of my setbacks was injuring my back on the day I had a
little celebration with the kids to observe not an ending, but a new
beginning. I ended up having two little parties as not everyone could
come on the same day. It was on the day of the second party that I
pulled a muscle in my back trying to carry some pizzas upstairs. They
were the take and bake kind and were heavy and unwieldy at 16" each and
stacked up. With my knees as they are, I require the handrail on stairs,
and tried balancing the pizza stack on one hand. I obviously used some
muscles that had long been in disuse, what with the pandemic and then
general staying at home all the time. The pain was pretty bad and I had to walk very carefully, and not twist or bend too much.<br /></p><p>I took a pain pill and
tried to prepare things while moving quite gingerly. I noticed then the
pizza guys had messed up my order! Grr. I had ordered the chicken and
artichoke pizza without the usual bacon as my daughter won't eat bacon. I
specifically ordered it through the custom menu so they would get it
right. But, alas, the preparer took one look at the order and assumed it
was the standard item with bacon and prepared it thus. In the end, the
pizza place offered me a free pizza for another date while I sat and
picked off the minced bacon bits before baking.</p><p>Then, I decided I
would bake the cinnamon bread ring first before the pizzas so the pizzas
would be hot when everyone arrived. Disaster! About 10 minutes into the
bake time I could smell something burning. I ran to the kitchen and
opened the oven which poured out smoke and the smell of burnt butter and
sugar. The topping had run over the edge of the pan that is provided by
the pizza place, and a mess was now smoking and turning to ash, and my
oven seemed covered, sides, top, and, bottom in a sticky black residue.
Oh yes, the smoke alarm went off and screeched for a good 15 minutes,
though I had all the doors and windows open at that point. I managed to
clear the smoke, stop the alarm, and clean up the worst of what was
burning in the bottom of the oven. I managed to finish baking the
cinnamon bread, which, incidentally, was really delicious, as were the
other pizzas. And the party was saved. But my oven has yet to be cleaned
now. I'm not really comfortable with the self-cleaning option that runs
the oven at super high temps. But my back is still on again/off again
giving me discomfort, and I hate to go through the physical gyrations of
oven cleaning the old way. And to think, my oven was clean before all that. </p><p>Oh yes, and the microwave chose that day to die altogether -- a thing
it had been threatening to do for six months or more. I ended up buying a
relatively cheap replacement from Lowe's that used the same mounting
system as the old one, and my son helped me get it installed. It looks
nice and works just fine, but if I were staying, I would have bought a
nicer one. </p><p>Well, I gave myself some time off for moping
over the setback. At the same time, gophers had awakened and were
systematically ruining my front lawn. I had, I thought, successfully
poisoned them after they made some dozen mounds near the front of the
house over the winter. But now they have popped up further down, closer
to the sidewalk, and there seems no limit to the number of mounds they
are determined to make. I have just stared at the mounds day after day
with no desire to deal with them. And it would seem ridiculous now to
have the cable company come back and repair the damage they also did
(for absolutely no reason!) in January, because the gopher issues make
the other damage insignificant. And being in the same vicinity, they
will require much of the same remediation. The grass was already
looking very sad and weedy after last year's watering restrictions. Can it be saved?<br /></p><p>I have bought some rapid grass seed, and some lawn soil. I've contacted
my yard guy for a spring cleanup and I will have him do the remediation
on the lawn, removing the mounds, putting poison underground in the
burrows, raking and spreading the grass seed where needed, topping with a
light layer of lawn soil. The only problem is my yard guy is getting
busy and I don't know when he will be here. It's just like with Alberto
years ago, and the guy I had after him. They start out new, with me
giving them a chance, as they try to build up a business and clients.
Then, after a few years, they get busy. Then they only want to work for
the big guys doing big jobs for the big money and I'm left to find
another new guy. *Sigh.* But I will endure with my current guy as I'm so
close now and just need to whip the yard into shape. I don't want to
break in another newbie. When I move, I will have a much smaller yard
and it will be flat. I expect to be able to care for it myself and not
rely on the yard guys much.</p><p>But the new house feels like a dream
that I'll never achieve. So many setbacks, and it seems I can't
stay even, let alone get ahead or get finished. So, I'm fighting discouragement and
trying to do small tasks in the house and keep moving forward. This
week, I hope the yard work gets done. I'll plant a few annuals for some
color, wash the windows, and do one good cleaning through the whole
house.</p><p>It feels like I may be approaching the finish line. But who knows what each new day will bring. Here's hoping.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-64162427329146866372023-03-30T09:13:00.003-06:002023-03-30T09:13:31.317-06:00When you go out to paint<p> I have all but given up painting, but plan to return again after I move. I saw this quote and just wanted to save it somewhere where I could find it again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIi8YancYqKiHp0C5E2FlJzzwciKzeghXSRPHAXot2DiXbDW7Q5eu4UFsYJGUD5HypzJZ9-3T7ibWkmy8nIUicIWFzxBUd7Nf687E6qXJyLevVipFDlHMcApdpCn3Vhfa03FHVrs9kfdCtbObkpNRNkv7XX3LygJVUvWYVLSoC0ZTvetN3O3Q7KrSQQ/s736/ToPaint.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="736" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIi8YancYqKiHp0C5E2FlJzzwciKzeghXSRPHAXot2DiXbDW7Q5eu4UFsYJGUD5HypzJZ9-3T7ibWkmy8nIUicIWFzxBUd7Nf687E6qXJyLevVipFDlHMcApdpCn3Vhfa03FHVrs9kfdCtbObkpNRNkv7XX3LygJVUvWYVLSoC0ZTvetN3O3Q7KrSQQ/w400-h127/ToPaint.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-17430064182254461772023-01-20T07:10:00.002-07:002023-03-21T08:49:13.891-06:00Our House<p> Our house, circa 1952. The house I grew up in.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_weWslJYmAn45pchNQ0FcIqimRFFGQ9Zo6D45ncmATnIVSpEhVXZWTK-pq666GsebJfoFSF2C-DZ1VmzB89OxqV4yaY03dtyGecjgjT9Ty9KikaoxB7cVT6HJJyq-q9V4XFWjkFKuMwQvKh56cTxkiIGiHRjbIBmq-N-sOVYkzWvrvtYqn5N2ypSfQ/s230/Our%20old%20house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="230" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_weWslJYmAn45pchNQ0FcIqimRFFGQ9Zo6D45ncmATnIVSpEhVXZWTK-pq666GsebJfoFSF2C-DZ1VmzB89OxqV4yaY03dtyGecjgjT9Ty9KikaoxB7cVT6HJJyq-q9V4XFWjkFKuMwQvKh56cTxkiIGiHRjbIBmq-N-sOVYkzWvrvtYqn5N2ypSfQ/w400-h304/Our%20old%20house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This is how the house looked when we first lived there. A two-bedroom, one bath house. Dad later built two bedrooms in the basement. And a "coal room" where we stored coal for the old furnace, also became another bedroom once we converted to a natural gas furnace. Eight kids and two adults lived in that little house. It was tight. Our driveway was originally a dirt path facing onto Harrison Blvd -- a main road that became very busy over the years. We had orchards to the north and behind the house. Those orchards were our playground for many years. The owner no longer maintained them or picked the fruit. Eventually all the land was sold and developed into houses in the 50s and 60s. We had our own apple and peach trees and a large yard. Dad built a large garage in the back of the house and our driveway faced the new Douglas Street that had been added running along the south side of the house through the old orchards. Both mom and dad had a wish to live in the house till they died, and that wish was fulfilled. They owned the house for over 70 years. So much history there. Too much to even touch on here.<br /><p></p><p>Our house, 2023<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5Hhkzmq9F9E_RR6K8EpbpMgpJRhKT64-IweKCWl4ayPgPOPNm6YdqryrbIRTuRROP4VFrgKMOypDHxwOk_YgCP6BUnrTdUhPmJ7XL1qW6B5lHDTUT5ttlnPNmTOewJGv85aa2FNtpbDS0pf881p-ZCo0hRcmZF5usUM8OJUyVmdBOqzvXlJSsWneCA/s1395/Our%20House.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1395" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5Hhkzmq9F9E_RR6K8EpbpMgpJRhKT64-IweKCWl4ayPgPOPNm6YdqryrbIRTuRROP4VFrgKMOypDHxwOk_YgCP6BUnrTdUhPmJ7XL1qW6B5lHDTUT5ttlnPNmTOewJGv85aa2FNtpbDS0pf881p-ZCo0hRcmZF5usUM8OJUyVmdBOqzvXlJSsWneCA/w400-h248/Our%20House.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We finally listed mom's house for sale in December, just a week or so before Christmas. Probably not the best time in real estate terms, but it was ready and we were sick of working on it.<p></p><p>We strangely call it mom's house, although it is really our mom and dad's house -- and our house, really. It was the only house mom and dad ever owned. They bought it when I was about 3 years old -- 72 years ago. I guess we call it mom's house because she had lived alone in it since dad died about nine years before her. </p><p>It's been a year and a half now since mom died, and we, the trustees of the estate, have been working hard to settle estate matters. That has been one of the most difficult and frustrating tasks of my entire life. First, it was necessary to empty the house of all the belongings. That, in itself, was a gargantuan undertaking. Mom and dad grew up in the Depression era, and they hated to part with anything that seemed to have some value. In truth, there was little value in most of what they saved, and it wasn't even easy to give it all away. We went through a process that allowed all of the eight siblings multiple chances to find things they wanted from the house and to take those things. Some of them took a great deal and some took almost nothing. We set a rule that we were not going to keep track of dollar values as long as everyone was happy with what they got. That worked fine until a year later when some of the ones who took the most suddenly had complaints about how it was all done. We ended up having to send an attorney's letter to settle it. Costly, but necessary.</p><p>In that time, we've had to make a number of repairs to the house as well. It has taken time that some of the siblings resented. Of course, the ones who complained the loudest were the same ones who were too busy to help with the work. Gratefully, some were dependable and helped us get the work done. <br /></p><p>Toward the end, we put in some long hours and extra effort to get the house to market. I sacrificed working on my own home to the end. I don't necessarily feel my sacrifice was worth it. Some of the siblings have complained that the house would have sold for more if we had listed it sooner. But the trade-off they fail to understand, is that the house was in no condition to sell sooner. We could have sold it as it for a rock bottom price. But the trustees jointly felt it was in the best interest of all to repair issues in the house before selling. It was the right choice. The house is freshly painted, cleaned, and all repaired now and ready for someone to move right in.<br /></p><p>Now, a month after listing, our realtor will be holding an open house this weekend. We're hoping to see some interest in the old house. You'd think we'd be sad and sentimental to see it sold. But after so many months of hard work and hassle, it will simply be a relief and that's all.</p><p>My own house is very nearly ready to list. But I've had a series of issues in the yard over the winter. The fiber optic company had to come repair their lines damaged during the water line construction from last summer. As a result, they've dug up three places in my yard that now need to be fixed (the city wouldn't allow them to trench in the newly paved road, and so they are laying line under the sidewalks!). I'm assured my landscaping will be put back as it was, but I know that won't happen, as these workers are clumsy oafs. Also I've had a gopher spree in the front lawn with now 10 mounds! These have been buried under snow most of the winter. But they are now visible, and I'm going to have to kill the gophers and mitigate the mess made by the mounds. It always something with a house. So much for curb appeal. But inside is in good shape, and I'm just trying to keep it as clean as possible. I plan to contact a realtor in February. I'll probably need my yard care guy to come help me with fixing landscaping issues.<br /></p><p>Selling mom's house is the end of an era for sure. And selling my own house is the end of one and the beginning of another. I have been mentally preparing to move for a long time, and have been downsizing in terms of personal belongings to make the move easier. I think I still have too much furniture for the small houses I'm considering. My hope now is just that the market is decent enough to sell my house and be able to buy a smaller house, and put some cash in the bank from the difference. That's the plan for 2023. I want a new place and I'm more than ready for that big change.<br /></p><p>I don't look forward to moving. But I must do it soon. My body can't handle this hill and the stairs anymore. And I'm tired of cleaning a big house when I basically live in three or four of the rooms. It's time for me to go. Unlike my parents, I don't want to live in this house till I die.</p><p><br /></p><p>UPDATE: Yesterday, Mar 20, we finally signed papers to close on the sale of the house. It was a relief after some ups and downs. Our first offer was disappointingly low and eventually fell through because the buyer continued to make unreasonable demands for more concessions. A week later, we had three full-asking-price offers and accepted one. Even after that, we had two more buyers wanting to pay full price. We could have gotten into a bidding war, but we aren't greedy. We felt the asking price was fair. Our reward was an easy process from that point to closing. The buyers sign papers today and the funds will transfer to our account tomorrow. And that will close this chapter. I learned a few things in this process that will help me in the sale of my own house.<br /></p><p> </p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-42120910120450928242022-08-15T09:31:00.007-06:002022-08-16T08:12:15.531-06:00So Much Change<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpL7uu3t4ra0qexFZoIqZUSjlfJkfJ6pp0IHNcGCs8RgXkFUs-svh_HiDx4hiK-QZcXnkj9HTIf4evEDZhW3pZWuACZk2vWKvK54e-_vR0bjNdNQrfI6JX0PuQMiMOO2UYP9vhnui4M2laSmJ_M80s98MHjKwl-d4xAGM_a7cpUYgSuZ8rPvAhBrsQYg/s2592/PXL_20220815_143144544.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpL7uu3t4ra0qexFZoIqZUSjlfJkfJ6pp0IHNcGCs8RgXkFUs-svh_HiDx4hiK-QZcXnkj9HTIf4evEDZhW3pZWuACZk2vWKvK54e-_vR0bjNdNQrfI6JX0PuQMiMOO2UYP9vhnui4M2laSmJ_M80s98MHjKwl-d4xAGM_a7cpUYgSuZ8rPvAhBrsQYg/w400-h300/PXL_20220815_143144544.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Is it possible to have too much change at once? I'm thinking it is. The past two months my daughter has been helping me with various projects in the house to get it ready to sell. To be honest, the house should have been ready long before now. Part of my problem is procrastination and part is that I have such a linear way of thinking about the process: I feel like things have to happen in a certain order and no other way will work. It's my mind trying to think through the efficiencies of what I'm doing and how to proceed so I don't end up doing things twice. Of course, I overthink things. A lot.</p><p>With my daughter helping me, it's forced me to stay more or less on track. She respects my linear thinking as she inherited some of that from me. But she has pushed me to get on with it and get things crossed off the list. The list. Some 80 items of things I think need to be done before I can list my house for sale.</p><p>And I have crossed off more than half the items at this point. But she is a teacher and has now gone back to work for the fall and can't come over and help as much. I took advantage of that this past week and, frankly, got lazy and unproductive. Although, a small excuse kind of boils to the surface when I think about it: A lot has changed in my house and it's a little bit hard to adjust to so much change so quickly. I notice it in Frankie, too. Now his bed is in a different location because of changes in my bedroom. Even after a couple of weeks, he seems a little unsettled about sleeping there. I know how he feels.</p><p>Just consider the large furniture that has left my house now: the grand piano, the large Queen Anne desk, the huge china hutch (68" wide), my tall bulky chest of drawers from the bedroom and most recently all the rest of my bedroom furniture. That last item was not on the list. But as other rooms began to feel open, spacious, and lovely, the bedroom still felt heavy, dark, somewhat oppressive. Well, the walls are a dark green to start with. But the furniture I had come to hate was big, dark brown, too ornate, and in bad condition. It felt to me that the room needed lightening, I already had white curtains and had switched to a new white with green comforter. I could see I was part way there. It was very clear that the old furniture needed to go and I needed something light.</p><p>This was not a new idea. I'd been looking at furniture for some time and I knew it would need to be light gray, white or off white. I looked at many options online and made a spreadsheet to help me keep track and to compare (yes, I am that person). My plan was to live with the old furniture until after moving and then buy the new things to be delivered right to the new place. But suddenly, a few weeks ago, I had a whim and decided to order my furniture at once.</p><p>I did it. I ordered the furniture from a well-known online company after much searching, comparing, and reading customer reviews. That was all a story in itself, but I'll spare you the details.</p><p>I immediately removed all items from my exiting furniture and put everything into large bags where I could find what I needed during the transition. I gave the old furniture away. It had too many issues to try to sell it. I'd had it for over 40 years, and my in-laws who gave it to us had it some years before that. It was old and ugly. But when I listed it for free, someone was at my house within a couple of hours and carried it all away.</p><p>As I awaited the arrival of the new furniture, I cleaned: walls, carpets, baseboards. The room felt so clean and fresh. I slept on a bed without a headboard pulled away from the wall a few feet, and discovered, how comfortable that was. That old wood headboard was creaky and overpowering. I had purchased a white padded headboard to replace it some weeks earlier, but hadn't installed it awaiting the room cleaning. But even with no headboard at all, bedtime felt more peaceful and I found it easier to fall asleep.</p><p>The furniture arrived, and I quickly had it set up. I paid the small extra fee to have the deliverymen take it directly to the bedroom rather than leaving by the garage door. That was well worth it and I didn't need to call on family members to carry the very heavy pieces in. I did, however, unpack the items myself which was messy and took longer than I expected with lots of cardboard and styrofoam to deal with. I only purchased a large dresser and two nightstands plus the headboard. I had fewer but larger drawers now. I didn't get a tall chest of drawers because I had emptied the old one and reduced my drawer contents to all fit in just the dresser. I'd ordered the matching mirror but ended up sending it back as it was just to much matchy matchy in the room. I kept my old mirror and it's perfect. I didn't then, and still haven't, attached the feet to the pieces. I'll do that at the new house. It still looks pretty, but I thought the feet made the furniture too tall for my room. I wanted to keep things sleek and serene.</p><p>I don't know why I waited several days, almost a week, before moving my clothes into the drawers. The bedroom looked beautiful with everything in place. But the change was so big, both Frankie and I felt like we were in someone else's house. Even after filling the drawers, I struggle to remember which drawer has what and I'm still adjusting.</p><p>So if I was lazy last week and unproductive, maybe I needed that. I needed time to start feeling at home again in my bedroom and other rooms of the house. To get used to the seriously big changes I've made.</p><p>And I think I'm about there. I woke up today in a good mood and feeling no pain in knees. I looked around at my beautiful bedroom and felt pleased. I'd had six hours of uninterrupted sleep, which is very unusual for me, and might have slept longer if Frankie hadn't gotten up. The soft quiet headboard is one factor in my peaceful feeling. But there's more. The room really is serene and more sleep inducing. I should have done this long ago.<br /></p><p>I feel ready to get back onto that list and finish up the last remaining items. There are no more really big changes to make. Mostly what's left is cleaning and rearranging. In my office I will pack up all my own memorabilia projects as well as the slides project from my parents' house. Those things will sit in moving boxes in the garage and will find their way to the new house in that state. I won't try to tackle any such projects now. </p><p>The garage remains the biggest thing to tackle still. And even though that involves getting rid of a lot of stuff, it won't have the same impact on me, I'm sure, as the inside of the house. I also now need to do some autumn sprucing in the yard. My yard care guy has become somewhat unreliable. But the yard is in decent shape considering we've had watering restrictions this year and the grass nearly died. Recent rain has got things growing, including the weeds. I'll do a little weeding and try to plant a few things for color. That will do. Oh yes, I still plan to paint the front porch. Well, these are large tasks and will take me a little more time. But I'm very very close now.</p><p>Of course, the biggest change of all will be moving into a new house. Maybe the major change in my bedroom will have helped prepare me mentally for that big change. I do think there is such a thing as too much change at once. And it can be debilitating. For awhile. But at some point, I have to pull myself together and carry on.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIdLKncp3h43esVZrMOSdzYiLJRXX3bfUBbTYKg58OBDA6_99uheTY1yF_tmeRtFgO03qLUtGQNvkc_exLp_jlfhwYadM45cZPoV7L6ilcitcAj-75oVykfj1U8MXXGnrh_G5XnYy6MiOP8N02tb-Sb3CKmb_s6lHD6swNnIRfpQmFxheJj9j1F9wMQ/s1446/PXL_20220815_143737669.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1446" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIdLKncp3h43esVZrMOSdzYiLJRXX3bfUBbTYKg58OBDA6_99uheTY1yF_tmeRtFgO03qLUtGQNvkc_exLp_jlfhwYadM45cZPoV7L6ilcitcAj-75oVykfj1U8MXXGnrh_G5XnYy6MiOP8N02tb-Sb3CKmb_s6lHD6swNnIRfpQmFxheJj9j1F9wMQ/w400-h251/PXL_20220815_143737669.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning visitors. Mom and three fawns (number 3 wandered around the side of the house). Look how green my lawn looks after two heavy days of rain! It was all yellow a week ago. Ignore the weeds. I'll get to them.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-36891451825710256792022-05-19T14:17:00.000-06:002022-05-19T14:17:40.869-06:00Life Expectancy<p> I got thinking the other day about how old I am (74) and wondered, statistically speaking, how much longer I might expect to live. It seems life expectancy ages dropped a bit during Covid, but are more back to normal this year. That means I might expect to live to be around 81. That's seven more years. Good lord, when you think of it that way, it's a little shocking. You always think you have another decade or two left. Of course, that's based on averages and includes sick people and others who die much younger. My mom, for example lived to be 91. My dad lived to 90. But none of us knows what lies ahead and how much time we have.</p><p>Along that vein, I progressed to thinking about how I spend my time, especially now that I may have precious little of it left. Things really are coming into focus for me. I know with more certainty what I want to do more of and what I don't want to do at all.</p><p>I'm looking at everything I do, and judging whether it's worth some of my limited remaining time or not. It's okay to waste time, because rest and relaxation are valuable, too. But I'm sure not going to waste any more time on things that don't bring happiness to me or my loved ones, or things that cause worry but that I can't change. It has to all be about quality now since the quantity of life is getting short.</p><p>Today, I wrote a much longer, more detailed plan in my private blog listing specific things I will do more, or less, or not at all. It helps me to realize how much time I've wasted on futile efforts. But no more. Some of the things I will do the same or even more of are cooking and baking, birding, music, gardening, entertaining my family, enjoying my little dog. Things I will cut back on are home decorating, watching TV news, watching TV in general, and worrying about the state of the world.<br /></p><p>From here on out, life expectancy for me means getting what I expect from the rest of my life.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-78617634672958767902022-05-13T09:47:00.001-06:002022-05-14T06:16:23.785-06:00House Hunting<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yOqQwcM8_os59Mon3Opl2UY8s8YNShyES3QIrFcZIyQMKcKNrssiVC4r2Ylc8XdTaQLcp5v2JgHDm5PCDCYegDmTrCywD6MXT2zzYteQfPBz5uH58sEFUwCuRCBMP7pRjmChbTRVMVVLWVM_zoQLa7GPF2rsPp4Yv8WU7a9ACpeK8-Z_O7fQXFWIqw/s923/HouseHunting.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="923" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yOqQwcM8_os59Mon3Opl2UY8s8YNShyES3QIrFcZIyQMKcKNrssiVC4r2Ylc8XdTaQLcp5v2JgHDm5PCDCYegDmTrCywD6MXT2zzYteQfPBz5uH58sEFUwCuRCBMP7pRjmChbTRVMVVLWVM_zoQLa7GPF2rsPp4Yv8WU7a9ACpeK8-Z_O7fQXFWIqw/w400-h239/HouseHunting.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Things are starting to change in the local real estate market. There is a larger inventory of houses overall, and prices seem to be stabilizing or even dropping slightly for the house I'm in the market for. The listings for that type of house and location range widely from about $470k to $650k. There is not sufficient justification for the price difference except, I think, that people are willing to pay the price to get a one-level house. Probably boomers like me who own their homes and can pay cash. But some of those houses are very overpriced and I don't think property values will sustain that over time. I don't want to get into a situation where I pay so much for a house that my kids have to sell it for less when I die. So I'm looking at the lower to middle end of that scale.<br /></p><p>I'm looking in a very specific neighborhood where two of my sons and their families live. The house must be one level, and not too close to a busy street or highway. I have other wishes, but I have decided that most of those are not really deal killers. But location is essential</p><p>There have been several one level houses available in recent weeks, but two of them had backyards facing Legacy highway, which has become very noisy now they have started allowing semis and other large trucks there. I need to be at least a few streets away from Legacy. Another house was on one of the two main roads that travel through this little suburb. But the city has approved something like a thousand or more new units (town homes, etc.) to be built on the other side of Legacy, and that will increase traffic on those two roads. I definitely don't want a driveway that backs out onto those. I also want to be at least a few streets away from the very busy Redwood Road that carries heavy truck traffic.<br /></p><p>Two good possibilities came on the market this morning. Both 3-bedroom,
both listed at about $500k. One is on a corner, close to my son's house,
but the corner is on the busy main drag through
Foxboro. I like literally everything else about this house. It has a
slightly larger yard with a covered patio. But the busy
street and a school across the street might be a deal killer. At least the driveway doesn't back onto the busy street. The other
house is about a mile away and is almost perfect. It has a smaller yard
but no covered patio. But it has an extra room--a small entry living
room that would be perfect as a music room. It has upgraded finishes
inside. But it's in an HOA at $35 per month--I wanted to avoid an HOA, but that's not a deal killer, really.
The location is perfect as far as noisy or busy roads, but a little
further away from my son than I wanted to be. I posted a picture of this sweet house above. It really is my ideal home.<br /></p><p> But I have some things yet to do before I make any offers. I am still working on my long list in my own house. Although, I'm buckling down and getting those things done. I think my house will be ready for viewing in a week.</p><p>I need to call my credit union and find out about short-term mortgages in case I want to buy before I sell. And I need to call and get quotes on storage pods in case I want to sell before I buy. The later seems like a better possibility. The costs for a pod is moderate, and they will take it to a storage location until you are ready to move in to a new place. Taking that route would give me cash to buy a house, making me more competitive. I could live out of suitcases with my son or daughter for a short time. They both have room for me and Frankie.</p><p>Even though houses are remaining listed for a little longer before selling than they were earlier this year, I probably won't be ready to buy before these two possibilities sell. But you never know. And I expect to continue seeing more of the same in the coming weeks and months.</p><p>I have to forget all about emotional things that are holding me back. I need to go into zombie mode of just working and making phone calls, and getting things done, and not over-thinking. It's time to get serious. <br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-44387487400597626852022-04-24T10:57:00.000-06:002022-04-24T10:57:07.812-06:00Transitioning<p> It's been a long old slog getting to where I am today. I've been bogged down by so many things: pandemic, mom's illness and death, clearing mom's house, downsizing everything in my own house and a long list of to-dos. I have serious mood swings and bouts of motivation and lack of. I set goals I can't achieve, and feel like a failure. I look at houses for sale online and feel utterly discouraged by the crazy prices. (It turns out my county is one of the top 14 in the country where housing has become unaffordable!) I am repeatedly let down by people I hire or who I otherwise depend on. I often feel depressed. Some days, I sit on the couch and only get up to feed Frankie or let him out.<br /></p><p>But I feel lately that something is changing. Maybe it's spring and improving weather. Maybe it's because I've had a couple of breakthoughs that feel like real progress. Maybe it's my mind finally settling into a transition from what <i><b>was </b></i>to what <i><b>can be</b></i>.</p><p>Changes in my community are huge and stark and not necessarily nice. Where previously existed houses and empty lots are now rows of condos and apartments. My favorite Mexican restaurant is gone, giving way to development. My favorite Chinese takeout has closed with the owner's retirement. Even natural events have changed the landscape: trees blown down in a storm or dying of old age leaving big gaps that makes my heart sad. My former thoughtful neighbors have moved away and I'm left with people who don't care about upkeep on their yards or houses and who let their dogs run loose and bark constantly. I know every neighborhood has its problems, but I'm surrounded by a new ugly.<br /></p><p>So much change. My daughter commented the other day that she had wondered if she would miss our house when I sell it. But then she said that the house has so changed from when she lived here, that almost nothing is the same anyway. And it's true. The stone fireplace is the same but nearly every inch of the house and yard have otherwise changed over the past 10 years or so. But for me, there's still the nostalgia of the view of Antelope Island and scenes west from my perch on the hill. And watching the changing sunset sky over Mount Ben Lomond to the north as I sit in my TV room. And simply the peace of my patio, watching birds and enjoying a cool place. </p><p>But my mind is changing about those things now, too. You can see Ben Lomond from many places throughout the valley. Antelope Island, too. My next house will have different views, but the important thing is that I can make it another place of peace and enjoyment. I think forward to that time now with more anticipation than ever. And it makes me feel excited that I will be so close to my kids and grandkids.<br /></p><p>I made a list of all the things I still need/want to do in my house; 80 things! Well, large and small things including washing all the walls in the house. There are things on the list others tell me I just don't need to do. But it's a matter of pride for me. I want to turn my house over to its new owners ready to live in. I have been overwhelmed by the size of the list and it has caused some failure on my part to get anything at all done. But I'm resolved now to do just ONE thing. And when that's done, do another ONE thing. And stop thinking about the big picture, the whole list.</p><p>April has been a success as far as downsizing personal items in closets and drawers. I suddenly became bold about giving away clothing and personal items. My daughter gave me a good tip: pick out the <i><b>things you want to keep</b></i>. Then get rid of everything else. It was a good approach and was pretty fast going as well. I'm embarrassed to say I found some items in the closet with new tags on them still--never worn. But either too small or no longer something I like. That money is already spent and I gain nothing by holding onto the items. So out they go. It was liberating to be so bold. I have reduced my clothing alone by nearly half.<br /></p><p>It's a problem for me that I often have a lot of real physical pain and it holds me back. But I have to live with that and do what I can. Some days I have to do small tasks with no stair climbing. Other days I feel strong and nearly pain-free and can handle many trips up and down. But those stairs are a daily reminder of why I need to move soon.</p><p> I'm not sad about the big changes I've made so far -- selling the piano and desk and getting rid of so much stuff. Transitioning to life without those things has really been quite easy. And that's proof, if I needed any, that it doesn't matter how much or what items I keep or get rid of, I am fine with all of it. </p><p>Every week there are one or two houses without stairs listed for sale in the neighborhood where my sons live -- my target location. I have to be sure I'm not being too picky and understand that I have to compromise on some wish items. But the two this past week were both very close to the freeway. I want something a little further east than those so I can enjoy being outside. The two last week were possibilities but really represented the highest end and lowest end of the possibilities in those homes. One was really too small and a bit run down. The other was lovely in every respect with a fireplace and high end finishes, but also very high priced -- almost the same as my larger house would sell for. I want something in between those options. I do have a wish list, but I'm willing to compromise. And I'm not averse to doing some changes once I move in. I consider each house that comes up, and imagine how it would be living there. Truly trying to make a mental transition from here to there. I can't change the location or size of the house, and those are basic to my wants. But otherwise, I'm keeping all options open.</p><p>Change is hard. And I think it's particularly hard when we're old and set in our ways and used to things the way they've been for a long time. But it's really important for me to embrace change right now in order to make a comfortable, livable life for the remaining years I have.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-41767275748053223672022-03-07T10:31:00.000-07:002022-03-07T10:31:35.341-07:00Another much loved item leaves the house<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXBvHTvAu6hlwfPKt4r9Jex2j6RRfLXc5MG5NMxDoHszBJSXHH1nYon5vt9I2qs_5Ss9JrvM5ZnQCCnDyAh248OY7WJF7ad9qsSKZosETD69HSxeaiGYIc00jYHCOMjy2yKAmFouF6XK-0rLzVwTrn49KmGbquz8CNf-ZKkOJpoWmWfHmw2pOEFNOfdw=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXBvHTvAu6hlwfPKt4r9Jex2j6RRfLXc5MG5NMxDoHszBJSXHH1nYon5vt9I2qs_5Ss9JrvM5ZnQCCnDyAh248OY7WJF7ad9qsSKZosETD69HSxeaiGYIc00jYHCOMjy2yKAmFouF6XK-0rLzVwTrn49KmGbquz8CNf-ZKkOJpoWmWfHmw2pOEFNOfdw=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Sold my pretty Queen Anne style desk today. It was part of my home office for all those years I worked from home. But lately, my office has been unused and become a catch-all room. The furniture was just gathering dust. I know I need to have less furniture when I move, so the time had come to sell this lovely desk. I really have loved it and enjoyed it. But now I will just enjoy the memories.</p><p>It turned out to be a more popular item that I had expected, and I ended up with a waiting list of people who wanted to buy it. The young woman who did buy it was thrilled with it as she was just setting up an office for her young business. It always feels good when your beloved possessions are passed along to someone who will appreciate them as much as you do.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-7652199371254029582022-02-04T11:51:00.004-07:002022-02-04T11:51:37.722-07:00The End of an Era<p>The piano movers came today. In 30 minutes they had it all packed up, in the truck and on its way. I am sitting here still feeling a little stunned and sad. I had tried to prepare myself mentally, but it's a loss and I'm feeling it. Damn, it's harder than I thought it would be.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyHR0pcMrEdnZBkcpAc2U-olOXHRu0pgABwg2CTJVHizogddJc4Hp_RKfVt4kZSK_uzwoD8675gJH5OScTIt0KNxfNJSW9BSb-G384t-OnXlsImYqeRvRpq98gD8jF_j_FSZx6cPf0fZPPfi4oMWg7C01b0HCkxSrqyHfiWzUzmTTLhh4XkMLJyi53kw=s2592" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyHR0pcMrEdnZBkcpAc2U-olOXHRu0pgABwg2CTJVHizogddJc4Hp_RKfVt4kZSK_uzwoD8675gJH5OScTIt0KNxfNJSW9BSb-G384t-OnXlsImYqeRvRpq98gD8jF_j_FSZx6cPf0fZPPfi4oMWg7C01b0HCkxSrqyHfiWzUzmTTLhh4XkMLJyi53kw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmK-VHmIUikovgSyqpFCbzyI-SKNPkdvfXGr3HRmUUebxQKjj6ANIBqop2R0YSxbQBN_FrHkhSyKrYoRWXzgRIojSMwMd5hNqE4cq4PYsBovUmdqA-ru8nWQXxYlUI7le-S31JBEl9C511Sv90yN3Hsce435K0vxEhjfpFEBWM7Ew9jxKB1OZ6Axx37A=s2592" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmK-VHmIUikovgSyqpFCbzyI-SKNPkdvfXGr3HRmUUebxQKjj6ANIBqop2R0YSxbQBN_FrHkhSyKrYoRWXzgRIojSMwMd5hNqE4cq4PYsBovUmdqA-ru8nWQXxYlUI7le-S31JBEl9C511Sv90yN3Hsce435K0vxEhjfpFEBWM7Ew9jxKB1OZ6Axx37A=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I had them take it out through the French doors in the dining room to avoid those difficult stairs. I did a lot of prep work to make the move easy for the guys. I moved all the dining room furniture out, moved all the living room furniture to the fireplace side, outside I trimmed some trees that were obstructing the path, and I shoveled some snow and put down ice melt. My son helped me move stepping stones on the slope at the side of the house where my landscaper had put them. They would only trip up the movers. In fact, they were frozen into the mulch, so by moving them, the resulting large divots made good footholds.</p><p>This move marks the end of an era for me. Once my house was filled with people, and noise, and music, and life. Now, it's just me and I can't fill it up. Yesterday, someone I was watching on TV said something to this effect, "The end of something is just the beginning of something else." Many ways of saying that, and it sounds a little trite. But today, it does feel like a turning point--a moment in time of no going back now.</p><p>It is time to find a new place to live and turn this house over to a new family who will fill up all its corners and bring life to it again.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-44880386323946577912022-01-29T15:33:00.000-07:002022-01-29T15:33:34.688-07:00Bye bye my lovely grand piano<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheHl09JwuRrnK01DKMTtJiCEDy3jCF8LfPuV6qAmov7XRu01F6QGN40_0QpsWVQnEY3mJ7aP3AwYboYrH0BVq_56oZazKiY6ZXNw6istkaNYVcrS9x-mhZ1LgLsGTNAdS1qb7z0w4tLX_RnATWNiWo2n892GBWZ1dSzO1AEuY6W1behRSM1gmpnn7r-A=s2592" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheHl09JwuRrnK01DKMTtJiCEDy3jCF8LfPuV6qAmov7XRu01F6QGN40_0QpsWVQnEY3mJ7aP3AwYboYrH0BVq_56oZazKiY6ZXNw6istkaNYVcrS9x-mhZ1LgLsGTNAdS1qb7z0w4tLX_RnATWNiWo2n892GBWZ1dSzO1AEuY6W1behRSM1gmpnn7r-A=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div>Selling stuff is hard work and a lot of getting hopes up only to be disappointed. But after close to seven weeks, a couple of failed deals, a handful of lowball offers, a dealer who wanted me to consign it, and even some hoaxsters who get their kicks setting up appointments with no intention of showing up--after all that, a serious buyer came, played it, examined it, and put down cash.<p></p><p>It was actually the buyer's parents who bought it. The buyer lives in Oklahoma and apparently has several kids who play very well. It pleases me my lovely piano will be going to a family home where it will be used and loved. But it's a bittersweet pleasure. It's also sad to see my beautiful piano I've owned for over two decades leaving my home. I'm having chills and goosebumps in the wake of accepting the offer.</p><p>But the pragmatic side of me realizes this is an important step in being able to sell my house and move on. I am so focused on making that happen now. It will take a little while for them to make the arrangements to move the piano. But the process is in motion now. And I've accepted it mentally and emotionally, and have made a deal with myself that I have my memories and that will have to do for me now.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-91552347080837881342021-12-29T06:27:00.001-07:002021-12-29T06:30:18.669-07:002022 Resolution<p> I am resolved to get my house sold in 2022. I have just a few little things remaining on my formerly-long list of things to do. Houses are still selling fast in my town. My friend with a similar house to mine sold her house after listing only three days. The smaller houses I'm looking to downsize to are selling in a week or less. Prices on both areas seem to have settled down now and I have a pretty good idea what I'm looking at price-wise. I expect to put a sizeable sum into savings between selling and downsizing. But that depends on the house I end up buying. Some of those one-story houses have extra nice layouts, finishes, and larger garages. I will pay more if one of those houses become available. But I will end up with no mortgage and still with a good savings. I plan to go to the credit union this week or next (weather permitting) and see about getting a home equity line of credit on my present home so I can offer cash when the house I want comes on the market.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxldOA1B1jvsfKdAQtDuY4yyghqttdpcgNFuYRcI8hgqpwBxi1P4wcyYw-rzes8t5ReCRMhPIEiwpiiP4CBi-1zcTERSEqOSmfJs0RYhrmefPrrIWTOnXSM3Ye99CUzJhyb7N1lEqcj8Ajnt9engRE3deF3KmHyVBxFzZ_MtLabGlgh6x_yfek_CyKlQ=s1973" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="1973" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxldOA1B1jvsfKdAQtDuY4yyghqttdpcgNFuYRcI8hgqpwBxi1P4wcyYw-rzes8t5ReCRMhPIEiwpiiP4CBi-1zcTERSEqOSmfJs0RYhrmefPrrIWTOnXSM3Ye99CUzJhyb7N1lEqcj8Ajnt9engRE3deF3KmHyVBxFzZ_MtLabGlgh6x_yfek_CyKlQ=w400-h393" width="400" /></a></div><p>My piano is up for sale and that will be an additional sum in the bank. I am ready to let this beautiful instrument go to a new home. It feel somewhat overwhelmed and burdened by it now that I'm serious about moving. While it is a little sad to see it go, I do have my other Yamaha electronic keyboard which is much smaller and so much fun to play. If I don't sell the grand piano before I buy a house, I'll squeeze it into the new place and continue to try to sell it. I've had a lot of interest but no takers yet. I did get one very low-ball offer which I turned down.</p><p>I'm making no other resolutions for 2022. If I manage to achieve this one, it will make all the difference for me. No stairs and a flat, walkable neighborhood with a good grocery store and hardware store in walking distance, too. And near two of my sons and families. I will be ready for the next phase of my ever aging self.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-52451800397247818422021-11-15T09:52:00.002-07:002021-11-15T10:08:23.529-07:00Stuff. Not everything is a treasure.<p> Saturday, driving home from Ogden, I happened to look down at the gas gauge and was shocked to see I was riding nearly on empty. I always fill up at half a tank. Well, apparently not always. Everything associated with clearing our family house and handling estate business has distracted me from my usual routines. Plus, my downstairs is still in chaos awaiting the restoration guys to come install new baseboards and door frames. My brain is overflowing and not keeping me on top of things like it should. Oh, I made it home and got the tank filled. </p><p>I had brought a few items home with me from the house that day: a small arm chair, an electronic photo display, a yardstick from Roskelley's dress shop in Logan where my grandmother had worked in the 50s--not much this time. I added some of this to the pile of stuff already accumulating from the house: an ocean painting, a cabinet for vinyl records, a big bin of yarn I will be giving away, and a large stack of slides with two projectors and a portable screen for my part of the big scanning project, along with various other odds and ends that I now wonder why I even brought home. </p><p>I looked around at the accumulation of items from the house along with stuff I had removed from the guest room closet. It all just looks like clutter. It mostly is clutter. In fact, I will be taking almost everything from that closet and some other stuff to drop off for charity this week. Those things have been stored in there for years and never once been needed or wanted.</p><p>If this clearing out process has taught me anything, it's the very temporary joy we get out of stuff we accumulate. You could see it in the patterns of mom's accumulation. She literally left off in the middle of making an item and moved on to her next interest. Meanwhile, stacks of supplies related to the unfinished project remained, boxed up for decades, waiting for us to sort through after her death.</p><p>Each of my siblings had a different approach to the things they wanted from the house. Several of us (me included) wanted only a few items with memories attached. Some wanted a lot more. Two siblings really loaded up items, both furniture and minutiae. One brother just couldn't bear to allow anything to go to charity. After everyone had taken what they wanted from each room, he would go back and box up as much as he could and haul it to his house. </p><p>Thus the items in the house were distributed. As I told my siblings, this would not be an equal process. I wasn't about to limit everyone by the small number of items taken by a few. Nor would I force anyone to take more items just because some of the siblings were taking more. All of the stuff needed to go. Everyone got to have mostly what they wanted.</p><p>There were a couple of blips along the way. Surprising there weren't more, considering the number of siblings involved. But as it turned out, almost everyone was considerate and generous with give and take of items throughout the process. The one exception was the sister who showed up the least to help but who had the most complaints. On the last day of clearing out, she created a big brouhaha over a comic book, attacking people's integrity and fairness. But, as it turned out, all she needed to do was ask for a comic book, and she got it. There was no need for insults.</p><p>The same sister raised an issue over wanting a mirror that had hung in the living room. That mirror had been a wedding gift from grandma to our parents. We had all used it all our growing up years for things like checking hair and makeup before dates. In my Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass years, I used to stare into that backwards room as did Alice, and imagine myself climbing through and having adventures in that backward world. The mirror was up for grabs on Sept 23, our first day of clearing. One brother requested it. But later he decided not to take it. Another sister wanted it, but we forgot to tag it with her name, and a few weeks later, as we had arranged for all untagged items in that room, it was removed by our niece and taken to a charity shop. Nobody noticed it was gone.</p><p>Until the very last day of clearing, that is, almost two months later, when the difficult sister decided to ask for it, long after the deadline for requesting items from that room had passed. With a little detective work, we managed to find out that it was long gone. One sister (the one who had given up a comic book), went to the charity shop, but the mirror was no longer there. One brother even offered to post a picture and a reward at the shop in hopes of recovering it.</p><p>Wait a minute, everyone! The mirror is gone. It is not of great value. And in fact, it had a pretty ugly frame with a bow oddly positioned almost floating above the frame like a star on a Christmas tree. I took the opportunity to suggest we all just let go of the mirror. It's gone. And it's not the only thing. There are a lot of things from the house we will never see again. Our memories of those items will have to serve in place of owning the actual items. Not everything is a treasure. Not everything needs to be carried on in the family.<br /></p><p>And the truth is, we all needed to be reminded that letting go of stuff is not only good, but necessary right now. You can't hold onto everything. For one thing, most of the stuff has little or no value. But also, in our own homes, if there's not a good place or a good use for it, it becomes part of the clutter that eventually our own children will have to clear away. And our children will not share those sentiments we held for things like that mirror. It will just be stuff to them. And then, the stuff will be tossed.</p><p>I've begun looking at my own home, my own stuff, with fresh eyes. I am seeing the crazy things I've held onto for no good reason for many years. I can see the things I could easy part with right now and never miss for a moment. For example, pillow cases. Over the years, when sheets wear out, the pillow cases seem to still be in great condition. So I keep them. And now I have a completely ridiculous collection of pillow cases I will never use. And I know I will never use them, because every time I buy new sheets, I get new pillow cases to match. Those extra pillow cases are leaving the house this week along with a pile of stuff from that downstairs closet.</p><p>And that's just one example.</p><p>As I think about the siblings that loaded up boxes and boxes of items, I wonder how much of that stuff will ever make it into display or use. Will they be glad to have it in the long run? Are those things treasures to them? Or will they mostly become worthless clutter after all?</p><p>For me, I'm glad I took the approach I did. I have a few small, special things and a couple of practical things that will move right into regular use in my house. Just enough stuff. And I have learned a valuable lesson in letting go of stuff. It's all stuff in the end. Mom didn't take her stuff with her and neither will I.</p><p><br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-58655387675581232222021-10-25T11:21:00.000-06:002021-10-25T11:21:13.029-06:00Internal Bruising<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJW7PdIrkJu1ED1dTgv1IREl7GeCdHIiN8rFf9WYk9GTTb3xX5Iva3SQYsxmRvfkN6RdWk-lVZlCSqZUmEzHpLEZLTJgq47kDF_43-bbi5HXwHgYShxyC9KLuEJmxUgvGA6K0a3AHSDiI/s1132/Demitasse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1132" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJW7PdIrkJu1ED1dTgv1IREl7GeCdHIiN8rFf9WYk9GTTb3xX5Iva3SQYsxmRvfkN6RdWk-lVZlCSqZUmEzHpLEZLTJgq47kDF_43-bbi5HXwHgYShxyC9KLuEJmxUgvGA6K0a3AHSDiI/w400-h300/Demitasse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p> I almost took a serious fall a couple of weeks ago--three different times, three days in a row. All different circumstances and all ending almost okay, except in the one where I hit my shoulder against the kitchen counter as I broke my fall. It left a bruise which the nurse noticed who gave me my Covid booster. I'm hurrying and not being in the moment. I have a lot on my plate right now, and I'm just no good at multi-tasking any longer. I need to slow down and stay aware of my surroundings and what I'm doing.</p><p>There's been a lot of pain in my life of late, both literal and metaphorical. And corresponding bruising--a painful spot that takes awhile to heal and feel better.</p><p>In the area of literal pain, the arthritis is slowly getting worse. Some days are better than others. On a good day, I wake up, and with a little stretching, my body accepts movement without too much complaint. On a bad day, I can end up practically crippled and must curtail activities. Cold stormy days don't help. I can live with it. I take over-the-counter meds on a rare but as-needed basis, well aware of potential side effects from over use. But I have to accept that pain is part of my daily routine now.</p><p>Physical pain is exacerbated by physical overexertion, and I've been doing too much of that lately. Like many of the necessary tasks following my mother's death in July, it has fallen to me to organize the clearing out of her home. That process has necessitated my presence and work in the home many days over the past month now. Some days have been fine, but some days have left me in almost intolerable pain. And the hour drive each way is harder on those bad days. But the work has progressed and we are getting through the house.</p><p>Mom was something of a hoarder. Not in the horrible sense like those television shows, but definitely with that mindset. She bought stuff or saved stuff just because she thought she might need it sometime in the future. She bought many dozens of craft projects and supplies to do in her retirement, but the majority of those items remained unopened or incomplete. She had lots of interests but I can see now how she would lose interest and drop something entirely for the next thing she wanted to try. She was somewhat tidy about her hoarding, with most everything in large bins, crates, chests in the basement. But taken all at once, it has been a staggering amount of stuff--all donated or thrown out as there was little there that anyone wanted. </p><p>Last week, I brought home a large bin packed full of knitting yarn. I'm a knitter and yarn is expensive. So I thought maybe I could use some of that. But I no sooner got it home than the horrible thought occurred to me that this was exactly how hoarders think -- put this thing away and I might use it "some day." I'm usually one to buy for a specific project and not stock up on things like yarn. Now, I need to rethink this and maybe donate all or most of that yarn. I swear my children will not have to haul such items out of my house when I die.</p><p>Upstairs in the house was different from the basement: the items of greater value were upstairs and it required special handling to make sure all eight siblings got a chance to say what they hoped to get and to make it all happen. My co-executor brother said he did not want a free-for-all of family members going through the house and just taking stuff. He wanted to see something more controlled and methodical. So, I devised a process that ended up being fairly simple and has seen us through almost the entire house now.</p><p>I began by setting up a folder on Google Drive and giving everyone full edit rights to the folder. Then we tackled one room at a time, going through every drawer, closet, and shelf, and making a decision for each item: Trash? toss it. Something a sibling might want? Take a photo and place it back close to where it was so it will be easy to find again. Something no family member will want? Donation pile. At the end of the work day, I created a sub-folder on Google Drive with the date and the room in the title, and then everyone uploaded all their photos for that day. In the evening, I emailed everyone with a link to the folder and gave them a 4-day deadline to let us know what they wanted. Anything not claimed by that time would be sent for donation or sold, if applicable. My brother and his kids periodically removed the donation items and trash. Siblings came by and picked up their items. Every work day had its own folder of pictures. Sometimes the deadlines slipped, but overall, we forced people to make timely decisions so we could keep moving forward.<br /></p><p>The thing that worked so well was the simplicity of the process. Those working knew exactly how to proceed in any room, and everyone got an equal chance to see all the things we found and to ask for things they wanted. We have encountered very few duplicate requests and those were, so far, easily settled to everyone's satisfaction. Most rooms required more than one day and we have worked two or three days a week, with all siblings volunteering to help on different days. After running this system for about three weeks, I called on my other co-executor sister to take over managing room clearing for a week so I could have a break. She did great with it and now we are alternating and working towards wrapping things up very soon.</p><p>Things of greater value were handled apart from the room clearing. We made a list of antique furniture, items with special significance, and other things of greater value, and then asked every sibling to look at the list and tell us their first and second choice among these items. That process did involve a lot of corresponding and some negotiating, but everyone has been really fair and cooperative, and happy with the items they received in the end. Honestly, you find some people who just want everything, and some who want very little. I told everyone right from the start, the process of disposing of mom and dad's possessions would not be equal and don't expect it to be. I did set up a spreadsheet to keep track of each person's requests, but we did not track values. The purpose of the spreadsheet was merely to allow people to see if items were already requested and to set them aside in the designated area of the house. There will be equity when we distribute the cash from the estate, but I can't deal with trying to find a way to make the personal property equal. Honestly, no one has complained.</p><p>The process has moved along somewhat slowly, but showing progress every week. But it hasn't been painless. Objects in the family home trigger memories, good and bad. A lot of reminiscing takes place as we work. And we stumbled across many things we thought were long gone. I was lucky enough to get my grandfather's onyx ring. He was such a special person who died when I was only ten. His influence on me is a whole story in itself. His ring is probably not of great intrinsic value, but it meant a lot that I could have it. Another sister requested one of grandpa's old cameras (he was a photography buff) because he died before she was born and she wanted something he valued to feel a connection with him. Everyone had such experiences finding treasures big and small as we sorted through thousands of items. </p><p>In many ways, this process has not involved grieving for only our parents along the way, but also for our grandparents, too, as many of their possessions were discovered. Just last Saturday, we found a box containing Grandma C's collection of demitasse cups and saucers from Great Britain and Ireland. We sisters all remember how special those were to her and we were allowed to admire but not touch. I remember those on the special shelves in her kitchen when I was very little back in the 1950s. Aunt Elsie had a similar set and those were prized possessions. As a child, I greatly coveted those precious cups and saucers. Now, I own two of them. </p><p>We are getting close to finished now. I was supposed to work on mom's office with one sister yesterday, but a small water disaster in my home forced me to cancel. Mom's office is daunting. So much paper, so many difficult decisions. But my sister is taking charge this week and I will try to get up there on Friday to help with that big task. Our hope is that we will finally make it through the last remaining areas of the house by the end of this week. Then we will give people one more week to request items and will even hold an open house the end of that week, so everyone can come and walk through the house one more time and take home any remaining items they'd like and say goodbye to the house. Once that is over, all items go for donation and we can begin cleaning and prepping to sell the house.</p><p>EXCEPT! Except for pictures, slides, movie reels, and numerous documents of interest or importance. All of these items are being set aside for work after the house is finished. Those of us with scanners at home will take home boxes of pictures or documents which we will scan and upload to the shared folder. Then it will be up to individuals to look through the photos and download what they want. This is a massive undertaking but possibly some of the grandkids will be able to help as well. With a big family, we'll try to distribute the work so no one person is too overwhelmed with it. This process could take months. But the items will be out of the house and will not be in the way of those prepping it for sale.</p><p>This entire era of time has been stressful to me. I've taken on so much responsibility. I'm always worried I've forgotten something, or someone is being left out or someone is being greedy, or some certain thing should rightfully go to a certain person. As the designated communication point, I've spend countless hours on emails, texts, phone calls. Sometimes I'll spend an entire day going back and forth with individuals. I wanted every person to feel heard and to respond to them with kindness and consideration. Even prior to the house clearing, I was coordinating a couple of legal documents that needed to be sent out, signed, and returned by everyone. And nothing is a simple as it should be. The worry causes me to lose sleep. I often wake after sleeping only four hours, and I begin going over things in my mind to organize for the coming day. Next thing you know, the alarm is going off and I haven't slept enough. Very few nights since mid-July have I had a full night's sleep.<br /></p><p>All while I've been doing these things, I've tried to get back to projects in my own house and have actually managed to complete a few things on the list. And a week ago I hosted a dinner for my own children and grandchildren -- the first big dinner in over two years. It was a lot of fun. I didn't cook but ordered meals from three different restaurants so everyone could have what they wanted, and I forgot one son's dinner. But he quickly ordered and picked up something, and we had a long enjoyable evening all together. I told the kids this might be our holiday celebration because if the opportunity arises, I will try to sell my house soon and may not be settled for awhile. But I have left the table set up with all the extra leaves in it and with the extra chairs around. Somehow, it gives me a happy feeling to just look at that set up.</p><p>It doesn't help that I had this water disaster in the house just now. The clothes washer drain overflowed and some small areas of carpet in the basement got wet. But the insurance company sent out a cleanup guy and got some fans on those areas right away, and they already feel dry to the touch today. But I need to get a plumber in to clear the drain. I need other guys to repair a few baseboards, clean and retack the carpets. It will be time consuming and lots of phone calls. I know how it goes. It's a setback and takes time away from my other projects. But it is what it is. If I don't sell my house this fall, I'll be disappointed. But it's not the end of the world.<br /></p><p>It all takes a toll. And ultimately I find myself distracted, tired,
nearly falling, eating poorly, forgetting things, and neglecting to take
care of myself. Sometimes the physical pain is very real. And sometimes the internal pain is equally difficult. I feel a bit internally bruised and battered and looking forward to being done with all my duties as executor. </p><p>With time and rest, all things heal -- if I can just manage to survive.<br /></p>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134423070092222259.post-13988040924665695532021-07-27T08:47:00.001-06:002021-07-27T08:50:45.314-06:00A Passage<p> Mom died July 16, 2021. There would be no chance to grieve for days to come.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAICMhhrC4EQwZqIYiwdvd3ksFanZDXp1sQWAt66ZirFBSZnCzyhyzlppD7sPDz6j-M3_e87_T3O45-DSDrCkXI7RiRYaAhp5tOFLApbefTPDdNOJLDeQ2SAJ27QnNTUC8q1svDp9VZf4s/s960/Barbara+Griffin+young.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="731" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAICMhhrC4EQwZqIYiwdvd3ksFanZDXp1sQWAt66ZirFBSZnCzyhyzlppD7sPDz6j-M3_e87_T3O45-DSDrCkXI7RiRYaAhp5tOFLApbefTPDdNOJLDeQ2SAJ27QnNTUC8q1svDp9VZf4s/s320/Barbara+Griffin+young.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjc6TxQVTjTxkqkS_yamw8TJTqUiygKpeHydE4jiGU8RTGZ7dfgO_YiV1U8zApcQGcCI56tHO4CTu3E5i6Vrp3y4UETepRBvpBSTo_12Qifc4iUSTqw-w2x6ZTfyLGd3vymq7YtwXIssSY/s2048/mom+and+dad+for+obit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1505" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjc6TxQVTjTxkqkS_yamw8TJTqUiygKpeHydE4jiGU8RTGZ7dfgO_YiV1U8zApcQGcCI56tHO4CTu3E5i6Vrp3y4UETepRBvpBSTo_12Qifc4iUSTqw-w2x6ZTfyLGd3vymq7YtwXIssSY/s320/mom+and+dad+for+obit.jpg" /></a><br /></div> <p></p><p><a href="https://www.myers-mortuary.com/obituary/Barbara-Griffin">https://www.myers-mortuary.com/obituary/Barbara-Griffin</a><br /></p><p>Each ensuing day felt like a year as we went through the rigors and chaos of planning and carrying out the funeral and burial. Now, just 11 days later, it seems impossible that was all nearly two weeks ago. There were some real challenges with just organizing the program for the funeral -- the logistics of working with 7 other siblings and large families all around. Further complicated when we had everything nearly set and we learned we had to move the funeral up a day or delay till the next week due to a state holiday that was celebrated on Friday (we opted to move up a day), and everything had to be reconfirmed or changed. We somehow did it. And by somehow, I mean by sitting at the computer, on text, on email, on phones (both mobile and landline) for 16 hours a day for several days running. On Sunday, I never even got dressed.</p><p>My sister and I met initially with the mortuary where mom had made arrangements for her casket, funeral, and burial, but had not given us any clues as to who should do what at the funeral itself. I ordered the flowers, wrote the obituary, and pulled together and arranged photos for the online slide show which was also shown at the mortuary during visitation. I worked out the program with some help from siblings. That part was challenging, with people unsure if they could be in town, and many wanting to be pallbearers but few wanting to speak. In the end, we had a really nice mix of speakers, musical numbers, prayers. The sister who was helping with the program was also working full-time and ended up needing my help to follow up on items while she was at work, including making arrangements with a bagpiper for songs we wanted and what time to be at the cemetery. I also coordinated with our officiator who was from mom's local Mormon ward but also happened to be an old high school friend of mine, going over what we needed him to do in conducting the funeral and the topic of his remarks.</p><p>It sounds like I did it all. I did a lot. But each of my siblings were making their own contacts with their family members and coordinating back with me, and I was the primary contact for the mortuary. So I didn't do it alone--everyone had a part. My older sister headed up notifying extended family. My brother's family arranged a family luncheon for after the funeral. Some siblings found photos for the slide show. But I did pull it all together in the end. It was so much work, in fact, that it was hard for me to have time for grieving or even accepting that our mother had gone. <br /></p><p>The day after the funeral, I crashed. I was numb and trying to come to terms both with losing mom and wondering if we had honored her well. I began thinking of things I should have mentioned, should have done. I didn't do much for four days, trying to make the mental and emotional transition, trying to find some equilibrium. Now, on day five, I am starting to function and getting ready for some sense of normalcy and routine -- starting with cleaning my house which has been badly neglected. I'll give myself some slack as enter a new phase of my own life. There is still much to do.<br /></p><p>I wrote the following rather light-hearted reminiscence and posted it to Facebook. It's all true. Click on the link above to read the obituary, watch the slide show. <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">*****<br /></p><div dir="auto"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_c6"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I'll tell you something about my mother a lot of people don't know: she was a computer geek. It's not so strange for a woman to be sharp at computers. Except for her generation. She was born in 1928. She got her first DOS-based personal computer when I got mine sometime in the 80s. I worked for a small computer company and we dealt in mainframes, but eagerly awaited the advent of affordable personal computers. Mom and I taught ourselves DOS, word processing, and dBase by watching programs on public television. She wrote little database programs and mastered file management; later graduating to spreadsheets and specialized software, Windows, and more advanced uses. She was sharp and really did get it. She used her computer every day and upgraded to new ones as time went on. In her work at the IRS, she was often called on to participate in computer testing and training. At home, she made crafty things for holidays, grandkids, church. She had no fear of technology and bought apps, printers extra drives -- all kinds of goodies. If I were to criticize one thing, it might be that she ran disk cleanup way more than necessary (haha). I think she was ready to upgrade to Windows 10 when we deemed her a little dangerous on the internet and had to implement some curbs. And as cool and surprising as this little story is, it's just one of many things that my mother mastered in her lifetime.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">It was with heavy hearts we buried my mother today surrounded by all of her children and many of her large family. She had the funeral she wanted -- a big, traditional Mormon service. The service of mostly grandchildren speaking, singing, praying, and participating as pallbearers was so lovely and she would have been tickled pink. We even had a very fit young granddaughter as a pallbearer who performed her duties in high heels. Mom would have loved it, as well as the bagpiper who played Going Home, as she had requested (and made us all cry).</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">You can read a little about my mother in her obituary at the link above, and watch a really wonderful slideshow of times of her life there, too. </div></div></span></div></div></div></div><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gmql0nx0 gpro0wi8 datstx6m k4urcfbm" href="https://www.myers-mortuary.com/obituary/Barbara-Griffin?fbclid=IwAR3iwJss4xMzFXH5i2BxMynVC4J4HZWRxdobumrQL5kdOzhQJBWBd2CP5EI" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" tabindex="0" target="_blank"></a>Bekkieannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058996951400003081noreply@blogger.com0