Appointments Abound...

It's not like snapping your fingers or wiggling your nose and things get done. Sometimes you have to let your fingers do the walking through the digital Yellow Pages. 

Today was one of those days where a lot of calls were made and appointments set up.  Monday I take Izzy to get her new shoes on. In early February she goes in to get lots of niggly items taken care of. One will be a new commode.  

I'm almost finished getting her cleaned up.  I get to learn how to dump the tanks this weekend. FUN!
I will wait to load her after her spruce up is done.  

I think once every thing is finished she will feel lots better, I know I will.  

Can't wait to get behind the wheel!

Oh Happy Day....

My day started early today, much earlier that what I wanted but beggars can't be choosers, can they... especially with dogs. 

The view outside my bedroom window,
an early sunrise on a Sunday morning. 

Today was a workday...a big workday! Today I started cleaning my RV. It wasn't planned, but the weather was beautiful and warm. Who wants to stay in the house anyway?

Ben my helper came over about 11:00 a.m., the plan was to work on the garage. I had trouble starting the RV and Ben says "Let me see if I can get it started" yeah right...uh wrong thought. It started up like a champ! I ran out of the house and said "What did you do?" Seems like I needed to hold down the battery boost until it clicks and then turn the ignition key. I was ecstatic! The garage clean-up plans went out the window and Ben and I started tackling the inside of the RV. Oh Happy Day! You see, I had made myself a promise that I would not start working on my RV unless all of my back taxes were done and I got the last one in the bag last night!  Yahoo Louie!

Out came the Murphy Oil Soap. I got all the woodwork in the RV washed down...boy was it filthy.
Ben pull down the insulation from the front window. I really had no idea the windows were that big.  

Removing carpet and Styrofoam insulation

We moved the beast and and lowered the levelers and put out the slides. There is nothing like learning by doing, I'm glad Ben was paying attention when I was looking at it. The thing is huge! If push came to shove it could sleep 10.  There is enough room in the kitchen/dinning area to put a very nice queen blow- up bed.

We left the door and front window open all day to air it out as it needs some serious airing out. I really need to get some kind of air cleaner in there.  I may put my Lampe Berger in there to try to clean the air and sanitize it with alcohol. Ben brought out the

Lots of wood to wash

monster vacuum sweeper and we did a serious vacuum of the carpets.  I am going to clean the carpet with some Resolve Carpet Cleaner. There is a chair in there that is in desperate need of cleaning. This is just the first round of cleaning mind you.   

Ben worked on cleaning the dashboard.  There was carpet on the dash as the previous owner had a small dog that would ride up there, I guess the carpet

Needs several more rounds of cleaning

caused some damage by being there.  It is a padded leather dash. I need to find some kind of refurbisher that will restore that new look. At the moment it is somewhat beat up.  Ben also got the TV working, put the right time on the clock, greased the slides and levelers, fixed the sun visor that had somewhat fallen down, put up my tent trailer and unloaded that for me, went and grabbed us some lunch, got supplies and began making a list of everything to do. He is such a hard worker. 

We found several items the previous owners had left behind, some really neat coffee cups for their Keurig, two stainless steel coffee traveler cups. And a heat diffuser for the range top.

Getting ready to tackle the floor

Tomorrow I will oil the woodwork with Liquid Gold, clean the window glass, cut shelf liner and install it, mop and wax the floor, clean the carpets, steam clean the shower, clean the microwave and refrigerator, start making a list of things I want in it and decide where I want to store things. 

I am sore tonight, but I feel great, like I accomplished something.  I need more of this, to toughen me up so to speak.  I was so excited today to be finally doing something on my RV that I chose to ignore my pain.  As they say "Mind over Matter"

Maybe I can take some driving lessons this week from the former owner.  Hey Chuck...are you ready?

More carpet and junk to toss

Wow...Where Has The Year Gone...

8 days until my retirement from the University and I am no closer to getting things decluttered than I was last March, but you know what, I really don't care.  I don't have a club to my head forcing me to get it done.  I don't have to be out of my home and since it's just me I will take my time and feel better about it than worrying about a deadline. I have Spinal Stenosis and Scoliosis in the same area and I can only work so long before standing and doing anything becomes a real problem. I really have to pace myself, otherwise it lays me up. 

I have been going through things and tossing, but there is so much to go through I will wait until family comes in to help me for some of it. 

I bought my motor home and will be getting it ready to take out on trips. It is a 35 ft. Winnebago Voyage with three slides.

2005 Winnebago Voyage

Main Living Area

Pull-out can be pushed back to make more room.

 I am excited, but there is always that little niggler in the back of the mind saying "Are you sure about this?" Yes! I am sure. If I don't do it I will have failed myself. Besides it will make me a stronger person. 

These last eight months have been difficult and I find myself crying at the oddest times. Thanksgiving was especially difficult as Dave's birthday was Thanksgiving day.  The girls put a great picture of him and his favorite beer on the desert table.

 I saw it and lost it. Up until that point I had been doing pretty good, but that did me in. 

I feel like the odd man out. New feeling for me. Not sure I like it, but will have to get use to it I guess. 

Well time is a wasting and I need to get the living-room in order.  I have a Christmas tree I need to put up.  

Have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

See you soon out on the open road!

Happy Trails...

Sorting and Cleaning...It Has Started In Earnest!

Have been busy cleaning, sorting, tossing out and packing up stuff.  What to keep...what to get rid of. HUGE CHORE!!!!

In going through stuff today I found my first reader, "We Look and See" brings back memories and not particularly good ones.  I hated having to read in front of my fellow students, the snickers, stares and shaking of heads when you made a mistake and then the

In decent condition for a 67 year old
Paperback school book handled by lot
of kids

glares from the teacher and her making you try to say it over and over again. It was humiliating for a 6 year old. It carried all the way through my education. So different from the 50's to now.  

As you can see I have a lot to go through. I have 10 shelves that look like this or worse.

This is actually half way decent. It's the ones with videos
that were cleared out that was the fright!

This is what I got cleaned today. Two shelves don't seem like much, but to have to find a happy home for the stuff that was on the shelf is another story.  Some of the video tape and such were some of the many projects that Dave worked on

Packed away lots of Video Tapes!

at the University. He made at least 4 trips to Japan and 2 trips to Europe. I have each one of those films. Also I have the recruitment films he made for the University and the 100th Anniversary of OU film. These I will save as I want his grandchildren to view and appreciate what their PomPom did.

Nice and organized Tastefully Simple Stock

This is what I got cleaned a couple of weeks ago to put my Tastefully Simple stock on. As you can see it looks rather nice and organized. 

The UGH! Corner

This one corner was so bad I only had a little foot path to be able to walk on. After much tossing and rearranging it looks so much better. Even better will be when it will be shipped to the daughters of it's previous owner.

Dave was Ned's friend till the end and held onto many items that he thought Ned's girls would want. I have about 20 boxes and 15 large format prints to send East.

A vast improvement!

 

There is so much to get done...I have 89 working days left till retirement, but it may take me a year to get the house cleared out.  I am not going to rush it. Yes I would like to go full-time by the first of they year but I have to be realistic since I am by myself now.  I can only do so much.  

This morning I also tasked myself to clean a shelf in the garage and lo and behold I found my Juicer! I scrubbed and tubbed that baby and made myself some carrot juice.  It's been a long time since I had any fresh juice. Need to get some carrots, spinach, apples and beets. Great concoction.

I guess Charisse Ward had it right when she said "Bottom line is, if you do not use it or need it, it's clutter, and it needs to go". Besides I have no place to put it in my RV when I get it.

The push is on, I have told the powers that be that I am retiring, so therefore...Let the games begin!

Hop…Skip…and a Jump…

Last night I un-boxed the Dorm refrigerator

New Dorm Fridge!

that I had purchased and decided to put it in my office as I am out of space in the other rooms of the house.  In order to put it where I did, I had to move 10 bank boxes full of paperwork that was the culmination of my daughter’s soccer career for Club and High School to the living-room.  In my bedroom is a file cabinet full of more soccer stuff.

Boxes of Soccer memorabilia 

Lucky for me, she’s going to be home for the next two weeks, so now is as good-a-time as any for her to go through and see what she wants to save and pitch the rest.  I’m going to suggest that she scan some of it and build a Facebook page for all the archives her dad saved.  Fury ’83 was one of the premier soccer teams for the state of Oklahoma 10 years ago.  I know the old team members would love to see the pictures and such that we have.

Last year Dave helped Ned Hockman’s daughters clean out a storage locker full of Historic film and other items.  The girls threw away lots of their dad’s stuff.  Dave could not bear to see some of it head to the dump.  Last night I came across three WWII photo albums of combat photo’s that Ned shot in Burma (Ned was a combat photographer and at one time was thought lost).  They are outstanding.  They tell quite a story.  Now I know why he saved them as they are history that we can pass on to our grandchildren.  This was also in the space along with the soccer boxes, video tapes and wedding photo shoots. 

Picture of a crashed plane, the
medics that pulled the pilot out
 of the plane and put him on a
 stretcher.
WWII China-Burma-India Theater

My TS Display

I’m working on clearing some of the shelves in “my” office to display my Tastefully Simple Product.  The space was Dave’s office but my “son” advised me that he had the better computer and I might as well learn a new operating system and enjoy more bells and whistles.  It’s been interesting, but I will say so far I like Windows 8.  It’s very much like the apps screens on my smart phone.

Skipping to the kitchen…Even though I’m not going to be in the house that much longer I want to finish a project I started six years ago.   I figure it will run me about $150 to finish it.  “Why” you ask???  Because completing it will make me feel good and make me happy.  I have been living with bright sunshine yellow counter-tops since we moved into the house 37 years ago.  Five years ago my daughter painted the fur-downs a bright indigo blue.  I had purchased Mexicali Café Curtains to use in place of the doors, which I had removed many years before.

Mexicali Café Curtains 

When we had purchased the house the former owner had put down horrible .49 cent stick down tile in the kitchen, dining-room and living-room. It still remains in the kitchen.  I have found a lovely .89 cent stick down laminate that looks like parquet flooring that I can more than live with for the next 6 months.

I want to refresh the paint on the fronts of the cabinets.  I will have to go over the oil based paint with a flat white and then go over that with a semi-gloss white.  With a fresh coat of paint, new floor tile and colorful Mexicali Café curtains my kitchen will be the cat’s meow! 

Jumping out to the living-room…At the moment it looks like the wreck of the Hesperus.  It’s in a total state of disarray. I have boxes of Mary Kay inventory that I’m trying to wade through and get put away.  9 Boxes of Tastefully Simple Food inventory that I need to inventory and put away.  Taxes are still on the dining room table, have one more year to finish, almost done. Papers are everywhere, from going through boxes of records. Somehow I think I got the cart before the horse, but that’s ok, everything will work out. 

So you sort of know what I’m doing for the 4^th of July and the next couple of weeks.  What are your plans for the Holiday?

Bite by Bite I’m eating the Elephant!

Please let me know you read this by leaving a word or two in the comment section, otherwise I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels.

Gearing Up!

Summertime and the livin' is easy...Ha! Yeah right! Things around here have been in so much flux I hardly know where to start.  I think I have lists for every corner of every room and what to do with all the stuff in each corner.  Daunting I must say!  

One of the corners to tackle

I'm trying to take each corner and tackle it with all the gusto that I must muster.  It's not easy when your body is hurting.  My body has been rebelling on me here lately.  I can only attribute it to the stress of Dave passing away unexpectedly, having to go to court to probate a lost will, looking at all the crap that has to be cleared out of the house, the house rebelling on me, the latest in the saga of things breaking down is the garage refrigerator, it has decided to give up the ghost. 

Then I discovered the man kept everything! Pitch, pitch and more pitching is due.  I had no idea to the extent of it as it was well hidden.  Well I really can't complain I'm just as bad, but I don't think that bad. It has to do with his being a journalist.  I have talked to others in his field and they all operate on their own brand of organized chaos. One of our friends wife said that she covers her eyes when she goes into his office. I can understand her saying that.

I have a lot to do between now and the end of December.  So I guess the ease of livin' in the Summertime will just have to wait!

The Grans at the water park, Summertime Livin'

See you out there sooner than later!

Moving Forward...

They say time stops for no man...or woman...boy is that ever true!  How to move forward.  If you read my other blog dasusmusings you know that my husband passed away at the beginning of last month.  It's been one hell of an ordeal! We just now got news that we can finally get the death certificate.  All I can say is dying sucks for the survivors.  But I digress.

Again...how to move forward.  Dave was taking his time de-cluttering, reading every story that he had clipped over the past 17 years. He would read them and then tell me that the stories stayed the same over the years just the players have just changed.  I don't have time for that, read or not, out it goes.  Boxes and boxes of newspaper clippings and complete newspapers, talk about a fire hazard!  I have so much to get rid of it's not funny.  

Several of our neighbors said they would come and help me get ready for a garage sale, which I really appreciate but they haven't seen my garage yet...I haven't seen my garage in years. Dave saved every box that every appliance came in. Reasoning...we might have to send it back in the original box. That has happened only once (in 41 years) when my computer died and I had to send it in as part of a class action suite. Also in the garage is a ton of equipment of a friend who passed away that I now have to dispose of.  

Clothes...what to do with Dave's clothes.  I've decided that I'm going to give them to the homeless shelter.  I know they will be appreciated and well used.

So much to do. Stay tuned to see how it goes.  I am determined!  

JANUARY...

Time is a wastin' as my Grandmother would say.  The last year is here.  I go in next week to apply for Medicare. 351 days from now I will be retiring from where I work with tons to do and no time to waste.

Where do I start...First things first, let's finish up my Mary Kay inventory then get the taxes out of the way. I have long lists of projects that have to be accomplished before December, such as...

Buy the truck
Buy the trailer
Start selling stuff on Craigslist 
Sell books back to a Internet buyer
Go through lots of drawers and sort out stuff to be sold, given away, thrown away or kept.
Hold a garage sale or two
Have family decide what they would like to have and have them take it. 

First item to leave the house a painting my mother did

Our KC Daughter took her painting that her Grandmother did for her.  Mom was not a painter but she worked hard at it and managed to produce some beautiful work. 
Her last piece ended up looking like a Georgia O'Keeffe original. It was of pink water lilies. Her teacher said it was one of her finest works. 

The old Singer treadle sewing machine that was my great grandmother's, transported across the prairies of Oklahoma Indian Territory in a covered wagon, has been cleaned out and I have the task of sorting out what was in the cabinet

Singer Sewing Machine it still works

drawers and disposing of it. Just lots of little trinkets of the girls when they were little that amounts to Nada, why do we keep this junk? For what purpose? The KC kid will take it this spring when she has help getting it up to her apartment. 

I have an 1880's rocking chair that one of the girls will get and another 1880's chair that was my great grandfathers when they had the farm, will be given to a family member.  The last piece is a ceder chest that is over 100 years old.  

So lots going on besides the every day stuff. So it begins!

Bueller...Bueller...We are counting!!!

  

Letting Go...

It really is hard to let go.  For 41 years we have collected, saved and squirreled things away. Now we have to get rid of 97% of it. Decisions, decisions...what will we keep what will we get rid of...Hmm. 

Angels...I have a lovely collection of angels, they are small and I don't have many (6) so they will go with us. You can never have too many riding along with you.

A few of my angels

Betsy Ross and Bi-Centennial Candle

 I also have small collections of Multi Holiday paraphernalia that I will take for seasonal changes.  Of course the small 4 ft. Christmas tree and some ornaments. Nothing too big, no room for it.  

Sewing supplies...My sewing machine of course, thread, scissors and whatever else I can pack into a small box.  My knitting circles and yarn and a favorite pattern or two, especially the templet to make the hand towels for the kitchen as gifts.

Computers and Cameras...What more do I need to say.

Just have to make the decision to pare down as necessary. I like my 4-in-1 printer, fax, copier and scanner, but will need to take the Epson Photo Printer for that professional touch as we plan to pursue our photography business on the road.    

West Coast Sunset

Art Supplies...I like to paint miniature landscapes, put small frames on them, then place them on little easels and sell them. So my paints, brushes and canvases all fit in a small two bottle wooden wine box. Imagine that!

Photos and Letters...I have been working on a project for several years "Love Letters from Franklin A Long Distance Love Story". I have been translating my father's hand written letters to the printed form.  I have all of his letters he wrote to my mother during WWII, including his proposal letter to her as he could not face her to ask her to marry him.  He was so scared she would say "no".  I am putting together a book with pictures that tells their story for each of their grand-kids and my brother and sister-in-law.  This will be a good project to work on when I am manning the gate at night while we are gate guarding down in south Texas next year. 

Kitchen...Still have to make some tough decisions there, but I can do it.  I do know that I will be bringing my Kitchen Aid mixer.  Some cast iron ware for cooking outside.  Baking sheets and mom's old electric griddle.  It has to be at least 56 years old and still going strong.  It makes the best bacon and home fries and let's not forget pancakes.  Of course there's the standard stuff, plates, plastic glasses, plastic ware for storage, flippers, tongs, prep knives, silverware, bake ware, microwave cookware and one nice table setting for those special occasions that just include the two of us and a few other items.  I plan to do a lot of my cooking outside our trailer as I love to cook outside. It seems to me the food tastes better.  I'm even going to try preparing food in a solar oven.  

Clothes...Jeans, T-shirts, shorts, 1 nice pair of pants each and a nice top or shirt.  Casual, casual, casual.

Tools...Bow saw, hoe, weed whacker, ladder, and tools to work on odd -n-ends. Sanders and scroll saw and a Miter box that was my great grandmothers.  I make frames. 

Paintings...I have several that I will bring, nothing too big but none the less treasured as they were painted by my mom.  The grans pictures.  I have a collage set that will be perfect in the trailer where I can change out pictures of the boys as they grow.  

A perfect place for the boy's pictures

My Mary Kay business...I have a carry case that will hold all of my Mary Kay products for purchase and it's not too large. So it will stow in a corner nicely.

For my impromptu office... I have a small desk organizer that looks like a mini roll top desk, I use it a lot as it is movable. 

For any space...Portable heaters and oscillating fan.

I will figure it out in time and then the fun really begins. Garage sales!

418 days and counting...

Going Through Clothes

Seasons change and so must we.  Time to put away the summer clothes and transition into fall clothing and start breaking out the winter clothes.  

Now's the perfect time to look at clothing items and ditch the ones that no longer fit or are no longer in style, which seems to fit the description of most of my wardrobe.  I really am a simple person.  If is still has good wear in it I will wear it, if not out it goes. 

Great Grandmother's Cedar Chest seeing the light of day

I have brought out the long sleeved T's, sweaters, heavier pants and warm woolly socks. It turned quite chilly here over the weekend which prompted the change.  I have a closet to go through but have cleared my the top of my cedar chest which seems to be a catch-all.  

I have several pairs of Army issued pants that I keep to remind myself that, that is size I want to get back down into.  Great camping pants and shorts.  I used to be that size and I promise I will be again.  It's a goal.  Besides those suckers wear like iron.  I don't know what they're made of but you just can't wear them out.  

I have several sweaters I need to fix and clean before I wear them again.  What's that you said? "When are you going to do that"? Soon, as I have a fair bit of mending I need to do, not only for myself, but for my daughter as well.  Just need to set up the sewing machine and get to it.  Maybe tonight during the football game.  

As I have been told by countless others take 15 minutes chunks of time and clear a area.  You will be amazed as to how much you can get done.  

Now I just need Dave to go through his stuff, easier said than done.

444 days and counting...

Yes...We Are Still Among The Living...

When I looked at the countdown meter today I realized that it had been over a half a year since I last posted, I was shocked that so much time had gone by without so much a word being posted.  We are now at 449 days and counting. Heaven help us.

More stuff came into the house this past week, ugh!  Dave, Ned's daughters and colleagues went through Ned Hockman's storage locker to clean it out.  Years and years of film, slides, posters, cameras, photos, frames, prints, photography equipment and general stuff. Ned was "the film guy" and a David Ross Boyd Professor of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma. Ned was a combat photographer during WWII and the Korean Wars, made training films with Ronald Reagan, knew everyone in Hollywood and an all around interesting guy with many a story to tell.

We did however gain some great containers and crates for the trailer.

But I digress...Ah yes, more stuff in the house.  George Carlin said it all when he said this...

Could not have said it any better!

Dave has been cleaning but in all earnest we both need to start tackling areas together. I have been bringing boxes home to pack things up in for the "sale", however I think we will tackle the house, shed and garage in zones.  This might be easier to get things sorted.

But for now we plug away with the end in sight. I will say this...When we started on our journey to go full-time we started with 2001 days. Where in the heck did that time go?
In all truthfulness it's called procrastination. Now it's down to crunch time and we don't have a plug nickle to show for it. Well that's about to change. Watch what we get rid of over the winter...

See ya when we get out there...

Dust Everywhere...

There are times when I think our house is liken to a barn,  open and dusty.  Dave and I could sweep every day and there would still be a layer of dust on everything.  When you have 40 year old carpet and three dogs, every time one takes a step it sends up a minute amount of dust, so three dogs are going to kick up a storm of dust every time they move.

Dave has needed to clear his office for some time now.  So what better way to do it than when your computer stops due to dust.  He moved it out to the dining room table and got it up and running again and has now started clearing out his office from all the stuff in it (all moved out into our living room).  I think Nick Russell could understand being an old newspaper guy.  Desks piled high with articles and news clippings.  Dave is a former news person as well and saves everything and I do mean everything.  We found clippings from 20 years ago.  Is there a reason you need it?  Other than the fact that not much has changed in 20 years news wise.  Same ole crap going on.  Just updated stories, same gist.

Last year he had on the DVR some 100 hours of Glenn Beck and I accidentally erased them, HONESTLY it was an accident.  I still have not heard the end of that one.  But it's the same with his news clippings.  Why keep them?  I just don't understand.  Please someone enlighten me.  I really can't speak, I'm just as bad with my recipes but I do however have a binder for them and try to keep them in one place and I do refer back to them.  

We have more empty boxes than we know what to do with.  He keeps every box that any equipment comes in.  We still have the box that the flat screen came in 6 years ago.  It's just taking up space out in the garage. 

I am to the point of calling in a front loader and having it all hauled away.  Trying to go through all of it is a nightmare waiting to happen.  Everyone keeps telling me baby steps, babysteps #*@@.  I'm ready to pitch it all.  It's just plain and simple, we have too much #%*&! 

675 days and counting...see ya out there!

Time Line Pushed Back...

Ok let’s not have a cow here.  I could retire now but would have to pay more
in health care, so I am waiting another 681 days to retire.  Plans change and
thankfully are not cast in cement.  My original plans were to be in Washington

DC for my 64^th birthday and celebrate the Cherry Blossom Festival in March. 

I will have to wait until 2015 to do that. But that’s ok, at least there is a plan. 

681 Days and counting…till we see ya out there.

Paper Dump and More...

Absolute Data Shredding here in Norman is a wonderful company. I really mean that. Republic Bank is a wonderful bank, even though I don't bank there. Why? They have teamed up to give the towns folks a way to dispose of their documents, financial or otherwise for free. Over the past 6 months I have taken advantage of their services. This past Saturday Dave got up into the loft of the shed while I held the ladder and pulled several boxes down of old financial statements from the 90's. We managed to clear out 18 boxes of documents. We loaded them into the back end of the Suburban and I drove them down to Noble, OK where the shred truck was and watched as they were being taken care of. It was rather liberating.

The next shred date will be sometime after the beginning of the year. I'm sure I will have more items to shred. Yippee!

I also went through more boxes in my bedroom and came across items from eons ago.  The notice from Social Security of what was to be paid to my grandfather, $101.00 a month, mind you this was in the late 1940's. My grandfathers death certificate.  I finally have the maiden name of my great-grandmother.  How much my grandmother's 1948 Buick cost, $2865.00 new. Amazing what we hang on to. I'm sure there will be more items I will come across.  I will scan them, put the information on a hard disk, but even that is starting to become obsolete, ok then, a flash drive.  What to do with it afterwards?  When it comes to family records I think a safe deposit box is a wise investment, besides the cost comes off your taxes if you itemize. 

Boxes and more boxes to get through. Having 4 photographers in the family, you can just imagine all the pictures we have.  I would say at least 10 large boxes if not more.  I think when we are all together again I'm going to sit the girls down and have them sort out  their pictures and make them take them.  Besides I have lots more to give them when I finish the book that I am working on for each of the grand kids, "Love letters to Teena, from Franklin".  A story about how their grandmother met their grandfather during WWII.  My mom save all of dad's letters.  Dad did not save any of hers.  I know it's a rather one sided story but my mom told me lots and I need to get it down before I forget. So I have been diligently transcribing the letters and have lots of pictures to go with with them.  It's a long process but thankfully one that can continue out on the road.  I will just need to make sure that I take the right box of pictures to scan so they get into the book.

Here's wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We have much to be thankful for.

See ya out there!

Boy, Was I Stuck...Now Unstuck!

Have you ever been to a place in your life that you were stuck and felt like you could not move forward? I have been there for the past 6 years. I know this really sounds stupid, but have you ever lost something, couldn't find it and felt like you couldn't move forward because you couldn't find it? Been there, done that! Moving forward now!

 
Six years ago I had a Colonoscopy and before the procedure I took off a ring that was the last thing my mother had given me before she passed and tucked it away somewhere for safekeeping. Anesthesia does strange things to me. I have always heard that the more surgeries you have the more memory you lose. Whether that is true or not I don't know, but I keep losing memory after surgeries. Two weeks later I went to put the ring back on and could not find it. I thought I knew where I had put it, but it was not there. For the past 6 years I have quietly been tearing my house apart trying to find my ring. I thought I had put it in my desk drawer, but I’ve unloaded that desk three times to no avail.

Saturday I decided to halfheartedly look again, nothing. 

Sunday morning I’m lying in bed watching a Mystery Woman who done it movie on the Hallmark station and I keep hearing my husband’s still voice saying, “You know you could get lots done in your room while watching your shows, you need to be up and moving around”.  Normally I would ignore that inner voice, continue to lie in bed, drink my coffee and watch my movie.  But I realized that we are never going to get out on the road unless I make some hard decisions about all the clothes I have. I have tons of stuff from former family and friends piled in my room.  It all has to be sorted through and gotten rid of, so what better time to do it. Believe me when I say this is not typically me, but
I wasn’t doing anything else. 

I have had this little green box that once housed a single teapot and cup combo, which is now sitting on my dresser, I had decided to store some things in it.  I know I had looked in that box I don’t know how many times, but this time I was going to get the stuff out and dispose of it.  I took out a foldable hair brush some Kleenex specialty tissues, old pill bottles, hair clips and a ring and some other jewelry.  I have three or four rings that all look alike. You know those rings with the fake 1 Carat Zirconia diamonds in a solitaire setting in silver? I looked at this ring and started to think that it was one of those but I looked again and the setting seemed a little off from those other rings.  I got out my magnifying glass and checked the inside of the ring. 14K white gold!  It was the ring, my ring!  This little puppy went on my finger so fast and it’s not coming off again. 

My mom wanted to give this ring to me when I graduated from high school but the jeweler looked at her and said that he could understand if I was graduating from college but not high school as it was one of the finest blue diamonds he had ever seen.  Me, I know nothing about diamonds so I don’t know if that is good or not. 

Having the ring found and back on my finger gives me new energy to get things sorted and disposed of. I was afraid to toss anything for fear of tossing out my ring.  Now I am no longer afraid and can proceed with a vengence ridding the house of “STUFF”.  The countdown has begun!

 
See ya out there soon! 

Packing the Bins...

While in Walmart the other day I picked up some storage bins. Dave asked "what are you going to do with those?" As Miss Kathy would say "If you gonna shoot...Shoot! Don't Talk" - Tuco in 'The Good, The Bad and; The Ugly'. I have finally decided to shoot. It has come time that if I don't get a move on I never will.

Each bin is lockable and will hold the items we want to take with us when we start fulltiming and will store nicely in the underbelly of the rig. Dave gets one for his clothes, I have one for my clothes. One is for winter gear, one for summer gear. I have 3 three for kitchen items, including pots and pans. So on and so forth.

I never realized how much "STUFF" I have. I could use another word but I will refrain.

Several of the boxes will be zip tied and taken to my daughters house for storage, pictures. I am in the process of writing a family history and will need the pictures when the time comes. It's time to start delving out the things we want the kids to have and get rid of the rest of it. Wish us luck!

See ya out there!

Making A List..

I'm a list person.  If I don't have my list I get stuck and go in circles.  Lately it has felt like I have been going in those circles of indecision for too long.  Happy to say I'm back on track now and have a new list. 

This list consists of what I want to go into our trailer when we get it.  I have it pared down to Dave's clothes, my clothes, linens, appliances for the bedroom, storage items for the bathroom and what goes in them. 

The other day I caught myself looking at the living room and making a mental list to put on my computer list of the items I wanted to take to decorate.  Nothing fancy just simple stuff to make the trailer homey.  A few paintings...small ones, of course. My angels, I have 6 of various sizes, nothing too large.  My book rack which will fit nicely (I might reconsider on this one), I've already checked. A few lamps and other things such as folding TV trays that can be moved outside for me to paint on.

The major pare down list will be the kitchen.  I have enough stuff to outfit at least 3 kitchens.  I will be looking at taking the lightest weight storage containers I can find.  The most efficient appliances and cookware. My Kitchen-Aid mixer, dehydrator and bread machine can go in the basement.   

Can't wait to get back doing this!

Outdoor items consist of chairs, carpet, grill, hoses, tools, small garbage can and other items as I think of them.  I have already started packing and putting things away in storage boxes and space bags.  I just about have our clothes pulled together. Once I have it all done I will hire an estate company and have them come in and conduct a sale and get rid of the rest maybe, maybe not. I will just have to see.  But I am getting there. Lists help!

See you out there...

Dreams...

There are always dreams out there floating on the ether. Your dreams, my dreams, things we want to do, places we want to go to, sights we want to see, people we want to visit.  Let us never give up on our dreams

See you out there...