2021 Week 6 Joys

Wow this month is flying by just like the last one did. I don't see how that is possible since one day seems much like the next, but it definitely is happening. Or maybe it is because all of a sudden I have gotten old and the time it takes the earth to circle the sun is relative to the number of trips I have taken on it. No matter how it is happening the feeling of time rushing by is very real to me. 

As is my usual goal for the year, I am trying very hard to recount daily joys. I long for some time when I can get out and about a little more, but even after the full 14 day has passed following the second inoculation, I will still be doing a lot of self isolation. There are still too many unknowns about the effectiveness of the vaccine for me to plunge back into what was my former "normal". 

So here is the daily list of the joys for my semi sequestered existence. 

Friday: I spent most of the day feeling sorry for myself because of the Covid inspired isolation. I pouted and did laundry then, pouted some more and did more laundry. I was pleasantly surprised when TheHub called about 4:30 to say he was on his way home. A few minutes after arrived at the house we hopped back in the car to go pick up our dinners from a transformed benefit we attend yearly. This is the largest annual fundraiser for the Cancer Society. Instead of the usual meal and dance this was a virtual art auction with a take out meal. Since we had already sent our donation long ago, and the dinner was included, we decided we might as well go pick it up.

Though we only had to drive less than five miles to get it, our drive was primarily on the crest and then down the mountain overlooking the valley. We were able to witness the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life. The entire sky was filled with pinks and oranges and reds of every hue and looked like we had been transported into the middle of a fairyland. It was worth tagging along just to see something so beautiful.

We drove through the unbelievably well organized pickup, came home and followed the prep instructions (just a warm up in the oven) that came with the meal. I did not want to wait until the oven reached 350, but surprisingly one meal fit perfectly in the air fryer. After I got the first meal heated we intended to split it while the  second one warmed. But the the filet was gigantic, I was not going to eat the potatoes anyway, there were enough roasted vegetables for me, and the salad was for two anyway. We wound up with enough food for 2 meals instead of just one.

I decided right away I cannot pout or whine anymore, because good things happen all the time.

Saturday: We had to go do some work at the lake place. I know I have mentioned before that I had to be down there a lot lately, but had not mentioned the real reason on the blog because a deal is not done until all the potential roadblocks are over. 

So I might as well go ahead and say that we accidentally sold the lake place. When Mom was still alive we had decided to sell because we were taking care of her and could not go for the weekend. We must not have really wanted to sell because we overpriced it.  Then after her death we decided not to sell at all.  

My sister and I spent all summer and fall dealing with Mom's house and possessions, so we never made it to the lake for any quality time. Next came the holidays, followed by TheHub's increased time at the office. We were still only going there  to take care of the house, but we not enjoying it at all.

Right before Christmas I got a phone call, out of the blue, asking if we would be interested in selling. TheHub and I talked it over and we were not really interested, but for the right price everything is for sale. 

We decided there would be no harm showing the house, then they wanted to see it again a few days later. We threw out a hefty"make us move" price and said we would only sell the place as-is. To our surprise they accepted, so on February 18 we close the lake place chapter of our lives. I will miss watching the birds and seeing the gorgeous sunrise, but I will not miss the hurried trips and the time we spent working there. 

I hope the new owners love it and have nothing but wonderful times there ! 

And now I not only have Mom's stuff here, but I will also have the lake place stuff here until we decide what to do with it.

The flip side of the sale changes our plans for our house. We thought we would put this house on the market in a couple of months. Real estate inventory in our area is virtually nil and houses sell very quickly.  We decided we could put furniture in storage, full time it at the lake and wait until the market changed to a buyer's market before we bought a smaller house. Now we are just going to stay put for a bit, and all that attention we put into maintaining the lake place is going into my backyard! 

This house is much too big for us, but Son3 and DIL3 are planning another extended trip in the summer and the space works well when they are here. Hopefully by then Son1 and family can come also, and there will be plenty of room for all of them at the same time. 

Life is full of surprises, isn't it?

Sunday: We went back to the lake to do a little more packing and brought back a car filled with stuff. All of them were things I already had multiples of here! I spent the mid-afternoon until game time emptying every cabinet and drawer in our vanity area, to reorganize and get all like items in the same place. Trust me when I say we will not need to buy, soap, body wash, shampoo, or body lotion for at least 3 years. 

Right before the game started Son2 and DIL2 came over to watch it and have dinner with us.  I love getting to see them and visit with them. We ate at half time (we have half time meals down to an art form here) so no one had to miss any of the game.

On a side note, I brought a vintage canister set home from the lake and put it on FB Marketplace. Less than 2 minutes after I listed it, it was sold pending pick-up, and by 8 it was gone!

Monday: I stayed in the house all day washing sheets, sheets and more sheets, before moving to quilts, blankets, bed skirts, yada yada yada. I guess the only joy for the day was knowing TheHub would not be home for dinner, so I did not have to factor any meal prep time in the middle of laundry! Oh and there is the joy of technology. I can lug my laptop or pad into any room and listen to a podcast or watch YouTube videos to teach me how to fold fitted sheets (even though I failed said tutorials).

Tuesday: "Oh wi Oh" is the beginning of the march sung by the soldiers in the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West. I felt like joining in as I tromped through the evil piles of linens. Yes I was being held captive by "blankets, and pillows, and sheets. Oh my!" My very simple joy was seeing an end to the great linen debacle. 

Wednesday: Today's joys are two fold. I lined up a donation truck to pick up all the excess furniture from the lake house the day after the movers bring it here. They do not take beds, but I offered them to anyone in the neighborhood wanted them. Woo Hoo! Two full size beds and a trundle bed with mattresses have been claimed.

The second joy is after spending literally hours on the phone with AT&T (gross overbilling that they blame on a computer glitch and are very sorry about) and with no resolution at least I was far enough away that no one could see the steam coming out of my ears, and though frustrated, other than telling them I was very angry and upset, I did not lose my temper.

 

Thursday: Covid vaccination, round 2____'Nuf said!

Have a great and joyful week. The joys are out there even if you have to look really hard to find them.