Day 9, Today

I slept pretty good last night without DH, but woke up 5am and could not fall back to sleep.  I might just get layered up and walk the pup.

BIL and SIL need help with the cattle while he is working this weekend out of town.  They have a 2nd baby, so nursing cows need extra nutrients,  esp when this cold.  It was low 30s this am, hard freeze tomorrow and Sunday be in the teens.  I assured him, SIL and I can handle it.  It will be after 5, so pretty cool and dark.  I went ahead and put that warm stuff together.  My new hunting jacket and fleece pants are warm!  I will have to drive side by side about a mile, help SIL load bag of pellets and feed them to cows.  Then drive home in the dark.  My side by side has headlights, but it will be pretty cool.  Hopefully not raining.

I put my gear on and walked outside to see if I could hear any owls, but did not hear any.  I got warm quickly just standing there!

I love my daily book devotional today.  From Jeasus Calling by Sarah Young:  "when a future oriented worry assails you, capture it and disarm it by diffusing the light of My Presence into that mental image.  Say to yourself, "Jesus will be with me then and there.  With his help, I can cope.  Then come home to the present moment,  where you can enjoy Peace in my Presence ".

Day 9 and I am grateful for the ability and willingness to improve awareness to be present.

Our Last Sunday Evening in City House

Yesterday we got back to the city house and I helped my friend load an armoire I gave her, then we took a good 4 mile walk.  It was humid, but not terribly hot (upper 80's).  Friday we took, unloaded and organized last load until we move excess personal effects/clothes/sheets/towels/cleaning tools - literally what can't fit in hotel.  That won't be until July 13.  We are staying in the city the next 2 weekends.  We will keep 3rd vehicle (suburban) in city parked at hotel, which will be handy because it will act as our rolling storage unit for few more weeks.  Then we will move it south and park it in DH workshop - we already made the room for it.  For Aug and Sept, we will just have our personal commuter cars in the city.  But anyway, back to Friday in the country...it wasn't the biggest load, nor the hottest day we have worked in, but I got dizzy and nauseous and about passed out.  So DH made me sit in AC house and drink some water.  It only lasted a short time and I was fine.  I think I just did not drink enough water Friday.
Ate a small dinner Friday down at retirement country and got to visit with BIL.  He had been working a job keeping him away afternoons till 11pm, well, he ended up leaving there and thinks he has another corp gig lined up late july or early aug.  He and SIL had sold their 3rd veh and are considering selling their cattle (usu keep about 15 - 20 to let them focus on their downsize).  He will spend few weeks attacking jobs at his late mother's residence to be able to finish that house and get the prop on the market.  His sister and her husband drives 6 hours one way each weekend, versus BIL 3 hours one way to work on this property. 
When DH and I got back to city and walked into CH Sunday, we could see that the woman we hired to clean had done a great job and my friends who came and got sev pieces of furniture had not left a trace of dirt or dust, so we were pleased.  I cleaned out laundry cabinet, kitchen drawers and weekend the area behind my house/patio area.  I weeked front area last week.  We had a large brunch on the way home for DH birthday, so we just sat in our lawn chairs in our living room and drank our healthy smoothies for dinner!  It was sort of fun.  Our 2 dogs are like what is going on?!  Where is our furniture?!
Today is the last Monday we will commute from our CH.  The picture is of a rain shower we enjoyed from our view last week.  Tonight I will finish packing my clothes and wipe out master bath vanity and do one more load of laundry.  I will take one more walk if weather permits on my lovely route i will miss so much.  DH brother coming over to get a gifted briefcase and our FSBO house sign for when he sells his house later this month or next.  DH sister and his brother are all about same age as DH and all working toward downsizing and getting more nimble for retirement.  I have inspired sev friends and family members to purge.  I will never stop purging after seeing people deal with estates after the fact.  I have no children to help me.  Have a wonderful day!  Here in the Midwest, we are enjoying some mild overcast weather today.

First day of fall Friday

So I got my walk in last evening after work.  It was nice, a little warm but nice therapy.  I have been walking regularly (I jogged for a few years) for over 30 years, since I graduated from high school.  I walk outside and inside.  I have gone through two treadmills.  I just sold my last one to downsize. 

 

I walk as much for relaxation as anything.  The weather lately is not like fall, it is in the high 80's low 90's and pretty humid.  Oh well, it won't last long.  We need rain at RH or I rely on my in laws to keep things alive and I hate for them to have to worry about it.  My DH parents and sister are great to help us when we need to, or we could have never bought this house and started getting it ready for when we retire ahead of time, like we have done. 

 

This month officially makes it 3 years that we have been dealing with 2 house payments, 2 insurance, 2 real estate taxes, 2 utilities...it has been great, but a little stressful (first world problems).  But we could not have done it without dear IL and my SIL and BIL. 

 

Today SIL had to oversee 2nd delivery of our new dishwasher.  The first one they installed had large defect in the surface covering about 1/3 of the front panel.  Our existing appliances there are white (I hate) and the cabinets are white (I love).  We could not find a nice updated slide in electric range (and were not willing to tear up entire floor to run gas line) in white, so we got stainless.  I have heard all the stories of fingerprints, smears, etc.  But white was not working out and we did not want black.  The kitchen is sort of small and a little closed off and the black would have been way to dark for the space. 

 

The house itself is small ish 1400+ square feet.  Our current city house is about 2700, but has a large storage area and 2 full living areas.  We felt it important to go slightly smaller and with true range/one story lay out.  This RH is also older than CH, but we fell better built.  So both houses seem to have things they need at the same time - that has been fun.  This year we have purchased a water heater and washer/dryer (CH) and a roof, range/oven and dishwasher (RH).  At least we have paid case as we have gone along. 

 

Also last year we finished more laminate floors in CH (to get it ready to sell) and enclosed a car port at RH.  Next will be a new AC for RH, but at least we got the one for CH purchased a couple of years ago (the unit on CH was less than 10 years old and just quit). 

 

I am told that builder grade things are like that and we see this over and over in CH.  Even how the siding and doors/windows on the SW side was done wrong, leading to water rushing in when we first moved in and requiring a sump pump in the basement - which all fell on us and HOA, instead of the builder (not my decision, this was the mindset of the HOA person/hired by builder).  This eventually has lead to ever increasing HOA fees and a deficit to our neighborhood account.  Some of my neighbors are very concerned and try to get answers and some of the neighbors seem to just "trust" it will all work out.  DH and I are just looking forward to getting away from it before there is a large assessment. 

 

Oh, and while we feel lucky home prices seem to be rising which is good for sellers, taxes on both places has risen steadily in the past 3 years.  We are really basically just over the stress of two places.

 
Well, this weekend I have not decided what my project will be at CH to do something to help the process of selling it.  There are plenty of things to do.  Maybe I will scrub the white grout in the master bath.  Whose idea was it to use white anyway?  Duh.  There are lots of fall festival type activities in the city this weekend and a movie we want to see, so we will have some fun and make run to appreciate my gratitude for the present and not wish my time away too fast! 

Hope you have a great weekend if you are reading this, thanks for stopping by.