Reflections

Remember all the free plants I got last spring...more on them later.

This week last year we were preparing to leave the extended-stay-hotel-from-hell and leave the city to go permanently to our retirement home.  I remember how excited I was, truly just beyond belief it was happening after counting down what seemed like 10 years but really was more like actual 4 years.  I remember thinking it was all happening so fast and it felt rushed, like events that you have looked so forward to but end up going by in a blur and you try to recall in your memories (and pictures).  Big reason why I started this blog was to document the time getting ready and leading up to such a big change in our lives.

Well, fast forward to spring after we retired.  I was restless, we bought a new car, I saw it as leverage to go back to my same work and get a temp assignment, etc.  And here we are approaching 6 months later.  I am giving my notice this week - 2 more week after this week and I am going to enjoy not wearing makeup, packing my lunch, loading my suitcase, etc.  Going to enjoy having a looser schedule and getting my tire body and my complaining tummy back to balance.  Did a stupid thing with my backyard - stacking rocks for a make-shift temp border while we moved our existing azaleas out from house to around the deck.  I plan to put in flagstone area between the deck and the back porch - so the shrubs had to move.  Then I got a bunch of free plants from DH cousin and just put them wherever to keep them alive - but no real plan.  Watered and had great luck with them - but now I want to more formally/permanently situate the landscaping and make it 1)  pleasing to look at but also 2) easier to tend to/mow around.  So I ditched the topple-ing rocks and installed paver bricks length-wise end to end almost flush with the ground/grass to make for easy mowing, while still keeping the grass and plants separate and looking pretty with mulch. 

I have a LOT more to do, but I like doing projects.  We are also going to put more insulation in our attic so we look forward to that - not so much, but will be glad to get it done.

Last evening I did not go to gym after work.  I drove DH convertible and thought my aunt would enjoy a quick little ride before I go to bed.  She did.  Uncle is failing and feeling badly, but not specifically badly as to be diagnosable in er - no actual pain/fever - just feels crappy all over and his spirits are following along.  She enjoys some company to think about something else.  She had served him dinner and gotten him settled in his chair and off we went, just for a quick spin.  Got a few groceries, I got enough coffee to last 2.5 weeks I have left at the office.

We came home and watched our nightly 30 min of TV then I went to bed.  Slept poorly.  Uncle wants the house like an oven, his main complaint at the moment, is, that he is freezing.  It was 75 there last night!  I woke up hot about 4 times!  Poor Uncle, how will he get through the winter.  Happy Fall a couple days late!

Project in progress:

Coming Up on One Year Since DH Retired

I say DH retired, because I retired for 8 months then went back to work.  But I am coming up on the period of time I committed 4 - 6 months, is nearly 6 months.  Then, I will take 2-3 months off and figure out my next step.

I saw this post this morning and it really made my chuckle to myself.  I am back to eating better and really trying to watch my sugar intake, and I already feel much better.  I can tell that it is going to take me a while to really get my gut health back and stop having gastro issues, body aches and skin issues. 

Other improvements I have tried to make is to be more comfortable just being still/non productive and be ok with myself.  This is probably my biggest challenge to retirement - ME!  My mother always told me I was too hard on myself, my worse critic, etc.  She was right.  Mom's are so smart.  I used to be able to call my mom and in the 1st 5 seconds, she could tell where I was emotionally and what I was doing, what I needed...like working too hard, not eating right, not getting enough rest, not enjoying nature, etc.  So amazing.  I miss her every day.

Well, this past weekend was hot as mid summer, DH and I did little except we mowed Saturday and it just wore us out!  So, other than doing a gym workout and couple yoga sessions - we did very little.  I piddled around the house a bit, cleaned, laundry, put together my new coffeetable (and we sold the other one!).  We did downsize an entire Encyclopedia set (my dear husband finally agreed to part with it).  We just don't need - books...they are the weakness of us both!

I gained tons of space on my 4 bookcase set, rearranged our knick knacks so we can really see and enjoy them more.  It was a great feeling - a whole truck load taken to sister in law's store.  Seems like we should not have more stuff to downsize...I wish that were true.  Anyone married to a motorcycle lover seems to have various parts, along with extra boots, helmets, coats...DH also former active camper/hunter/outdoorsman - we have many tents, sleeping bags and various camping equipment we really don't need - I will cull these next spring! 

We did get out our bikes and ride them to Lowe's Saturday after mowing.  I picked out the insulation we will be blowing into the attic in October and the bricks I will be buying for newer, tidier border in my back yard.  While we have decided to stay at our 1 acre yard house for a while, my immediate goal is to make mowing easier, while getting to enjoy my landscaping I have worked so hard on, while I can.

Have a great hump day!

Salad Day

Just took a break with a friend at work and there was a bunch of left over Greek salad/hummus in the break room - score!  The food was from Zoe's and I just love their Greek dressing!  It had lettuce, tomatoes, diced red onion, feta cheese and Kalamata olives.  So good.

Thursday, DH had an appointment in the city early Friday.  So his folks were going to run by and feed the dogs for us, he went to see Granny and I met him over there on my way out of town - to home.  We visited with her an hour and he went on north and I went on south.  He got home Friday after apt and playing golf with is brother.  I enjoyed my house just me and the dogs.  Was nice.  We watched TV in bed!

Then Saturday I went to my other friend who passed from cancer (in August) - to his celebration of life.  It was fun driving up with and visiting with my sister.  We took DH convertible.  We also got to see lots of our friends, but it was really draining.

Maybe that is why I am just feeling out of sorts.  Sluggish and lethargic.  Plus I am puffy and yucky from eating bad.  I am starting back over on the no sugar thing.  I had gone with out eating red met until Saturday on the way home I stopped for a snack and ended up eating fast food, yuck.  So starting over there too.  Had not eaten red meat for almost a month.  I don't know why I am having so much problem right now eating for wellness.  I went to yoga last night, other than walking and being really busy doing projects around the house (DH mowed without me Saturday - surprised me so much!) I had not worked out officially since last wed yoga - so I went last night and sweated like crazy - then came home - had a light meal and watched tv show - then bed.  I am tired of this schedule, in 3 more weeks I will give my 2 week notice - so 5 more weeks in total.

At least it is still in the 90's and hot!  It was good weather to stay in and organize...last weekend I organized and cleaned out my spice cabinet.  This weekend I cleaned out and scoured the freezer part of the fridge - I need to do free standing freezer next weekend.  And we have a nice 8 by 8 ish storage closet off our garage - I cleaned that out, organized and swept the floor/shelves and re-arranged.  Got rid of a carload of knick knacks...and DH is clearing out his giant collection of encyclopedias so we can offer then for sale at his sister's store and empty out several of our bookcases.  We looked at the small yard house(new house) once again and decided that the storage was just so lacking - we could not do it.  So, we are staying in our current house.  But, DH agreed that we could continue to purge.  If we actually considered this house - we must both be in agreement that we could do with less.  So, I am going to continue to pare down excess and DH agreed, because someday we will want to move and find house with smaller yard (and probably less storage).  Mainly right now, I get tired of cleaning around stuff!

And for my own part...I am going to store nothing in our attic except 4 Christmas and 2 fall totes.  I told DH I was purging down so much, that if/when we do move, I will easily be able to quickly look and decide what I do NOT need to keep.  Experience, not things is my mantra. 

I do not regret that I plan to finish a few cheap money/labor intensive projects around my house that we will get to enjoy and that will make our house and yard look great. 

Oh, I forgot to tell this...my friend at work brought me a bag full of pears.  They are really delicious green pears with a pretty thick skin.  I got them all up and put in bags in my freezer for smoothies because they are pretty small just to try to halve.  I made DH and I pear and spinach smoothies and my little $80 bullet from Walmart did great!  We did not detect the skins or the spinach.  I was very happy with my inexpensive blender. 

Then, Monday we had peach, apple and banana smoothies and they were yummy.  I am going to get another giant supply of apples this week and so I wanted my apples still in the freezer used up.  Hope you are reaping some great produce as this harvest moon approaches!

Wayfair Not Such Great Service

Now that I have touted Wayfair, I am pretty mad at them.  I decided that the table that had a small divot out of it, I would request a replacement piece when I requested the drawer bottoms (they were left out) for the coffee table.  Of course by this time, DH has worked hours putting these two pieces together.

Today I tested him to see whether the replacement parts have arrived yet.  It is not possible to track their delivery like it was for the original pieces of furniture.  So, I send an instant message to their website...nothing...email...nothing...then after an hour, they respond to a message I put on their Facebook messenger...they will send replacements, but they won't get there till mid September?!  I was so angry - over a month after I order...plus, we have to take the ones apart and put new pieces in. 
Geez.

Anyway, I am in just a horrible mood.  My tummy has been killing me.  I am going on about a month not enough rest, I will get my friends funeral over this weekend, then hopefully begin to get some relief in a busy, yet stable routine.  And even better, I think I will only work like this in the city for another 6 weeks.  I feel more than ever the need to be home.

Have a great weekend!

My heart goes out to those affected by the hurricane.  So sad. 

Final Wayfair Share

 

This weekend I got to see the coffee table I had ordered that DH has assembled while I was working last week.  We were a little disappointed that the bottom shelf panels were missing, but a quick email indicated they would be mailed to us soon.  I realize these things happen, but why don't they mail them back with the same communication/urgency of the original order?  The tabletop had a divet out of it that we tried to patch, but it still did not look great and we were afraid it would not hold up over time - I requested that be replaced too and it has been nearly 2 weeks!  So, for small inexpensive items, mail order has been fine (plus I wanted 3 very specific and small things).  Most furniture you see in retail stores is 1)  expensive!  and 2)  huge.

I am overall happy to get exactly what I want, fairly inexpensive and be a little patient/put them together. 

This was after I got home from the city Thursday evening and turned around and rode back with my sister.  I really should have stayed home, I was exhausted to the point of needed to nap.  Which is not like me.  We did learn when we stopped to visit our Granny that she is moving.  From an independent living apartment to another closer to her daughter.  She was afraid we would be mad, I don't really understand why she thought I would be mad, I guess because she was not moving closer to me.  I never expected that.  Anyway, she insists on hiring a moving truck (she does not have much, will be $900).  I am grateful for that, because otherwise even though we have cousins in the city, DH and I would have done the majority of the work.  This way my sister and I can take a couple days to help unpack and make her place more of a home.  We are honored to help her.

My aunt and unle were so thrilled at my sister's gift of a call-button system.  Very proud and happy.  Nice that my sister can do that for them.  We had a nice lunch with them Sat before we drove back.  So, I was home Sat night, Sunday and Monday.  My sister and I also enjoyed a nice dinner with my girlfriends from the city T and D.  We haven't kept up with D as much, she does not really keep in touch much either, is busy with her grandkids.  Frankly talks about them non stop.  She still indicated she wanted to come down to our house.  Not without T, I will just have to put it off maybe.
Sunday DH and I mowed and looked at 2 for sale houses in our little town with smaller yards.  One house over priced and needed a $5000 - $8000 wood fence replaced - PLUS it had 7 giant cut off stumps in the yard - a fairly small yard.  It had been gutted and remodeled beautifully, but lacked these 2 huge items for us - and overpriced.  The other house was brand new - very pretty and I really loved the layout - tiny yard which is ok for us.  But it was REALLY small (not that I care).  Just not sure we are ready to downsize that much this quick. 

Then Monday we looked at 2 larger homes 1 old 1 new in nearby higher traffic area.  One had a nice view, the other did not.  Both smaller yards - 1 mostly rock.  DH really hating our huge yard and the mowing.  I offer to do the mowing, he is not willing to have his wife do all the mowing - so it is a quandary for us, somewhat.  We may consider finding room in our budget to hire someone, but it would be $70/week!  We will see.

One thing this looking has shown us - we are essentially on the same page - we just want cozy home, to enjoy each other and reduce our focus on stuff.  However, I have been feeling this pull for about 5 years -to reduce my stuff and he seems new to the change - although surprises me sometimes.  Actually 2 things, we both really do feel the happy goal of making sure the other person is happy and satisfied where we are in life and in our retirement...more broadly, in our life journey. 

I told DH last night as we were relaxing before I had to get to bed early to get up at 3:45 am - I just care about him, not what we have or where we live.  Plus - we really do love our house.  So, we will probably stay put and enjoy all we have done on the house.  It has been quite a summer indeed.