Friday Again, i am sensing a pattern here

So as of last Friday I mentioned I have a new job.  I started the onboarding process (electronic paperwork) Monday and did several documents Monday and a couple of missing/mistakes on Tuesday).  Then we got an email Tuesday evening like around 9:30pm, work Friday that all the people being hired still had onboarding documents, etc).  So I figure I have 2 more days off - more work in the yard - mowing, puttering around.  Planting a few more flowers, some more veggie seeds, etc.  Then we shopped for inlaws.  I helped with a couple more things with sister in law's yard, etc.

I finished the border on my deck azalea area - the water rushes under my deck from neighborhood to our south and out the side where the azaleas are - that is why I spent the money and got rocks for this area - mulch would just be washed away.  Even the rocks washed over the flat brick pavers, so I got these longer thicker ones from my SIL and stood them vertical so I could fill in with more rocks and make it more substantial.  I love it.

Oh, and she has a business where they sell vintage/used/flea market/antiques stuff, mostly furniture but also décor, seasonal, nick nacks, some glassware, etc.  She is know in the community and a woman downsizing sold bunch of furniture to SIL and SIL texted me that the lady was selling a treadmill.  So I bought it for $40!  I really don't have the room, but I just stuck it in the middle of my small guest room for the time being.  I will be glad I have in on really hot and really cold days.  Just don't like where it is at the time.

I am eventually going to get rid of some bigger furniture, so my long term plan is to move to larger guest room.  I don't have company much, so I am not too worried about it being in either guest room.  But our furniture is big - was for bigger house and good functional well built furniture is hard to get rid of.  More on this later with photos!

My DH is one of 3 boys and 1 sister.  Their grandfather made this beautiful walnut cabinet with glass out of a walnut tree he planted as a young man.  Then went off to war and came home and cut the tree down and made this.  I have my blankets in it that I crocheted.  I just gave one blanket away for a wedding present - the white and black houndstooth with red trim - see below.  Well, my brother in law has 2 sons so they are eventually going to come and take the cabinet so the boys will eventually get it. One son just got married - I gifted the blanket to them (and some cash!).  DH has agreed that I can then get rid of the huge bedroom set (he has owned since the 80's, and it is very nice, but so big and bulky/dark).  He is ok with the idea.  He is seeing as we get older we don't need so much stuff to take care off/move/clean around.

I got an email this morning (after I went to bed early and got up early - preparing to work and GET PAID!).  No work yet this morning.  I sure hope the project otherwise goes smoothly - this is frustrating.  But since it is for an arm of the federal government - it moves like a glacier getting everyone on board.

Oh well, guess we can finish working on our deck.  We painted our picnic (I always say pick-a-nick like the cartoon) in my head!  We painted it turquoise for fun pop.  The sellers of this house left it back there when they moved.  DH has replaced several of the boards, so it was diff colors of wood.  So we thought a bright paint job would be fun.

It turned pretty cool this week Thurs after we had nearly 90 degrees Wed!  Weird.  I saw a post from a friend of mine that she was doing big Easter dinner and delivering to her loved ones, so I was inspired to do the same.  I am making baked ham, potato casserole, green beans, deviled eggs and a coconut cake.  We will deliver to Mom and Dad in law, sister in law and her husband and my husband's uncle who lives alone and has health problems.  I have been trying to do nice things for people (care packages, cards and just calling/texting) just to be supportive during this weird Covid 19 quarantine time.  I know if it is hard on me, in must be hard on others too, even though we are all still in the thick of it and don't really talk much about that - I think we are all mostly staying positive and all our feelings haven't processed yet - mine haven't!

Have a wonderful Easter weekend1

Hello it's friday!

I have been busy working like crazy in my yard - I LOVE it.  Love being outside.  During the last couple years I have frantically downsized, but during this quarantine I actually thought to myself yesterday how grateful I am to have a nice big (1 acre) yard.

My biggest task of the past week was moving 7 large bushes out of my sister in law's yard.  She is making her yard less maintenance and I seem to be doing the opposite.

Here are four.  The middle forsythia was already there.  Not a place I would have chosen.  But I keep it pretty trimmed.  So, I figure what is 4 more?  I like how it softens the yard and make a welcoming look.  I also planted 2 (1 each side) of driveway and couple flanking my barn in the back yard.  So I guess its closer to 10.  Only 7 large ones tho, 3 small ones.

My azalea.  I also have started my veggies.  The square ones mostly planted.  I have seeds and plants I can fill in, I am staging the planting so that they are ready at stages.  The round ones will be 5 nice tomato plants.  2 cherry tomatoes will be in pots on the deck.

Well today it is cold and rainy.  So I cleaned the house.  Made DH help me.  I hope you all are staying well and finding nurturing things to do for yourself.  I signed up for an online yoga class and have been doing a few times a week.  It is good.  

Oh, my most exciting news...I think I have a job!  Working from home.  Stay tuned for more on that later.  Ta ta.

Last week I painted my kitchen table and hutch.  Our new pup chewed the corner of the hutch.  DH patched it, but the color was off.  So I picked out some chalk paint on my way home from overnight hiking trip early March before all the coronavirus quarantine started.

Have been going back and forth between contentment and gratitude to stir crazy/how am I going to make it through this summer mentally with all this strangeness.  I have to find outlets during this solitude.  I am honing a structure to my day and I think it is helping me keep perspective and remember all the things I have to be grateful for.  A LOT!

But I did have a cry the other day when I looked at our retirement accounts and we received the news that any assistance from the Fed government is going by returns from 2018.  We will retired at the END of 2018 - so we will likely not get any of our hard earned money back.  PLUS I have already filed and PAID my 2019 taxes.  Sometimes it seems like doing all the right things puts one at a disadvantage.  But I have never been a procrastinator.

Then I got out of my pity party and put a note on my hiking group that if anyone needs help, PM me and I can help them with errands to the story.  Many of them are 10-15 years older than I.  We went to the store for my in laws this weekend was so happy to help them.  They seem to be doing fine - just working in their garden, etc.  Not worried about toilet paper, etc.  My Granny is not doing as well, her mind is just racing and worrying not having any company.  It is sad.  My area has indicated that businesses closed for next 30 days...people are taking that the CDC suggesting it might be through August that people are supposed to stay home...if so our fundraiser of Memorial Weekend will be cancelled.  That is also the month of our reunion.  I just hope that if this quarantine/social distance goes on all summer that we can see the benefits of the flattening of the curve of infected because I can't imaging the economic and mental health implications it will cause our nation.

I also bought through Amazon a wifi extender to see if I can get internet in our guest room so that I can do yoga online classes in the bedroom - we don't really have room enough anywhere else.  I did a nice session Sunday and Tuesday.  I will do another one Thurs and maybe Friday or Saturday.

Rain, rain, rain!

Early this am DH had to get up and drive to the city.  He still has not gotten a doctor in our new area.  To his credit, it is not easy to find someone here.  He also takes a lot of medications and his doctor is very thorough.  But for this trip I really hated to see him drive so early in the dark with the storming going on today.

He called when he got there.  Made it fine.  The weather 3.5 hours north sunny and nice today.  He played golf with his brother.  His brother recently bought my old convertible.  DH took him our paperwork file with all the maintenance stuff, including window sticker.  I also gave him the car cover and my Pontiac hat.  Any chance I have to get rid of something...hahaha

Yesterday and last few days we have sold more stuff (sporting goods, motorcycle, hunting, camping...etc).  I am saving up for my backpacking equipment.  Depending on the events around doing stuff outside and coronavirus CDC recommendations, I am supposed to go on an overnight backpack thing for beginners.  If it is cancelled, I will just hold on the my money for a while and uy things more slowly.  It is crazy his expensive.

Today I cleaned house and washed the dogs.  This is them looking at me through the door while they were outside.

Good Time to Catch Up

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I posted.

My favorite uncle passed that week and so I went to the city and stayed with my aunt for a week helping her get services ready and keeping her company.   She is doing ok.  I worry about her.  Losing my uncles income will tighten her budget.   She has a big family and support system.  I hope they keep it up.

I saw my elderly Granny day after her bday couple weeks ago.   She was good.  Now they are not having visitors for the time being.  My Granny is trying to stay positive.

Last week our internet was out for 5 days.   I went ahead and went on a trip (I drove) about 4 hours south with my hiking club to a lake and couple state parks.  There were 20 of us.  We had a good time.  I like the women in the group.

When I got home Thursday I was sick.  So of course I have worried a bit.  But I am pretty sure just allergies and my chronic condition.   No flu symptoms.   I have been getting lots of rest.

Saturday we stocked up on groceries.  Bought pantry stuff and also lots of fresh fruit and veggies.  We are just staying home as much as we can next 2 to 4 weeks.  Yesterday and today was dreary and gray/drizzling.  I walked anyway.  Going to try to stay active and enjoy some solitude. 

I am eager to get my plants outside and plant some veggies...wont be long!

Until then we are enjoying chilly evenings and a fire on our wood stove and projects inside.

Stay well!

Exhausted and Depressed

I am exhausted and depressed.  I just got back from quick trip to the city to help my Granny and be with my aunt a little bit.  My uncle dying.  She is caring for him at home.  I was happy to see him, he is still responding a little and spend time supporting her.  But now I am just depleted.

I had lost 4 or 5 pounds before I left, I tried very hard while gone to continue the same eating plan.  Now it is all back - in 3 days!  I am tired, my tummy hurts and I just want to sleep.

This time of the year is hard for my anyway.  My mom and late husband died in early March.  But this year I was determined not to let this creep into my psyche and overcome this tendency to think about it.  Last year I woke up one morning in late February with a very sore shoulder and it was sore for 2 months!  I even went to the chiropractor.  Maybe that was the beginning of part of my weight gain.  Is it almost inevitable that one gains weight in retirement?  I am really struggling with this.  Maybe that is just the most obvious thing to focus all my frustration on.

I also have a couple of friends who are really bringing my down.  I don't want to be friends anymore but I have avoided confrontation for over a year.  I have known these gals since 3rd grade.  Instead of mellowing in middle age, they are getting more judgmental and nosey...and talk about people behind their backs!

We have a cancer charity we started in our hometown and we have a fundraiser coming up in May.  I had previously started a charity in my city I used to live in for stray animals, so I helped with the paperwork and 501c3 for this cancer charity.  Now I just want far away from anything these other people are involved in so that I can focus on my mental health.  Maybe the physical will follow my mental health healing.  I do have a chronic autoimmune conditions, so that is a special consideration in my life.

My plan is going to unfold as follows.  I will go along for another 3 months as secretary and get through the fundraiser.  Then I will ask for a replacement and ease out.  I think I need to just focus on being retired and in my new state (that I LOVE) and just be still and learn to be alone and no distractions.  I am coming to the belief that these girls do not have my best interests so I am not going to try and have a big talk or get to an understanding of what I want, I am just going to drift.  I tried this last year but one of the girls is always inviting me to church stuff.  The wrinkle is one gal lives 30 miles from me!  Uggggghhhh.  I have owned my house here since 2014.  She just moved last year to be closer to her mom.  Isn't life funny sometimes.

So I Have Been Busy Again

So I have been busy.  Chiefs winning the Super Bowl.  We watched from home.  This was after I came back from whirlwind trip to city to see my cousin whose mom died (my great aunt and my Granny's best friend). She was 95.

Then I got to see my Uncle who went on hospice and support my aunt.  I am so happy my uncle got to witness another Super Bowl win for his beloved Chiefs.

Then I had to turn around after the visit and pack and go to my Great Aunt's funeral back at the lake in my hometown.  It was nice to see my cousins and all our family from all over...Texas, Colorado, Ariona, Georgia, Missouri...  My sister and my cousins and I rented an Airbnb with a pretty view.

Then we did get to enjoy Super Bowl from our own home, DH and I (and our dogs!),

I have also been lucky enough to enjoy some pretty hikes lately.

I am getting spring fever.

This is what over $100 gets for a funeral now a days.  Crazy.