Who's your Buddy? Who's your Friend?

Here's my Buddy.  The Grand Girls are supposed to come this weekend and we are all ready.

We're Home

Here I am in the Laundry Room at the old apartment getting a coke.  Can you tell how red my face is?  That was some work.

Here we are at the New House.  Boy, was that a tight squeeze with all the boxes. I wish I had counted the boxes.  There were so many for the size of the house that you had to unpack the closest box first.  There was no pushing them around to get to the one you wanted.  I was lucky in that I got a free load of boxes off Freecycle from a lady who had just moved into this area. Of course, I had to drive across town to bring them back to the old apartment but free was worth the trouble.  I also got rid of them the same way.  I advertised on Freecycle and a lady came and picked them all up.  I broke them down as we unpacked because I was hoping that I could get rid of them on Freecycle without having to take them to a Recycle Center.  Worked out great.  

This is a corner of the large closet behind the recliner in the picture above.  I believe it is the 1938 version of a walk-in closet.  I'm not complaining because we have used every inch of it.  These are my (grown) daughter's games.  She is one of those "gaming" addicts and belongs to several groups that meet up at different places on different nights.  As a child, she and the other two little girls who lived down the street played a lot of games.  If they weren't on their bikes or laying on the trampoline dreaming of things to come, they were playing some board game. 

 

Here is the little girls' area of the closet.  Fresh baskets and everything sorted nicely.  We'll see how long it stays that way.  I also bought one of those tall drawer things from Michael's and put all the colors, markers, tape, punches, stickers, colored paper and white paper.  I know I'm dreaming if I think it will stay organized!!

Here is Buddy sitting on one of the new pillows and not on the blanket put there just for him.  You can almost see the window unit in the right corner.  Haha.  There was no central air in 1938. Luckily I have the newest and coldest unit in my bedroom.  You know I tend to get overheated from this diabetes so a nice place to cool down is important.  

Here is part of the front.  I didn't realize I cut off the top and got part of the garage apartments next door.  I'll get a better picture of the front and share it.  There is an archway porch on the left side of my building just like this one.  

My daughter put up Halloween yesterday.  She loves to decorate for the Holidays.  That works out fine because I love to look at someone's hard work decorating for the Holidays.  

So I'm settled in and very happy.  This definitely was the right move.  I'm going to try to be a little more socially active.  I looked on Meetups for some groups I might join to meet new people.  I'm also trying to decide on what my new hobby is going to be.  I ran across some pictures of my ice dyes I had posted on Facebook and they warmed my heart.  I'm not going to do that again because I don't have the grandson around who wanted everything I made but I'll find something fun to do.  

Is this a Blogger change?

I've been reading the blogs I follow on my phone lately because I don't like my new Chromebook.  I noticed last night after I received some comments and I pushed the publish button, I got another email that said did I want to "unsubscribe to comment emails for this (my) blog." It asked me this for every comment I published. 

Where did this come from?  Is it happening to anyone else?  I'm afraid I might have unsubscribed to any or every comment source I receive. 

Ok, I'm getting old and cranky.  I want them to quit making changes without my permission.  And especially, don't be jacking with me during my move or I might just accidentally on purpose lose my laptop, also known as cut off my nose to spite my face.  I'm not sure what that really means except my mother used to say that to me quite frequently.  Guess that tells you what kind of child I was.  Hahahaha.

T minus 2 days

It is T minus 2 days until the move.  Everything is in good shape.  I have Wednesday and Thursday to throw the final objects into a box for the movers on Friday at 8:00 a.m. 

I've been feeling very nostalgic today.  I'm not afraid that we are making a mistake, I'm just thinking this is another chapter in my life and just how many chapters do I have left.  Not really sure where that is coming from.  I guess from the lack of physical energy I am able to expend.  It's like I blow and go for an hour and then I rest for two.  Oh well, no sense being morose, it's just the way life is.  I may still be fairly flexible now about these things as I age but when I get back to the diaper stage..... not gonna be so happy, not gonna be so flexible ...... I'm warning the daughter now. 

My life has been full of phone calls, appointments and moving the small stuff.  Every day I take a load while I complete whatever chore I have in the old neighborhood.  Today I moved pictures from my daughter's room.  A lot of small, light pictures so it wasn't too bad.  I've used my little grocery cart almost every day.  On the other days, I am likely using the small dolly I bought for $10 at the junk store.  Boy was that a great find.  I realized today I needed a box cutter to slit open all the tape I have put on the boxes.  I stopped at Big Lots near the doctor's office and they didn't carry it.  Hum, wonder if it is considered a weapon now.  Haha.  I could hurt somebody with one -- most likely it would be myself.

Today's business included a stop at a sandwich shop in my old neighborhood.  I had an egg salad with cheese, avocado, and bacon.  Yum.  Yum.  Then I was off to the endocrinologist for the first time in 6 months.  Yeah, that's over for another 6 months.  My A1C was down a tiny bit.  I was excited.  This calls for cake I thought.  She wasn't that impressed.  Ha. 

Well, I guess I'll see you on the flip side (a little CB language in memory of Smokey and the Bandit).  10-4.  Over and out.

9/11

It seems like only yesterday that we heard the incredible news about the attack and destruction of the World Trade Center in New York.  It was such a major event that you only have to say 9/11, without the year or place or any other identifier, and the majority of people alive today will remember exactly where they were when they heard the news.  It was the most unbelievable and incredibly sad event of my lifetime.

                                                 *  *  *  *  *

On to tales of packing for a move.  I found a fountain pen when I was cleaning out my closet - a Schaefer with a blue see-through barrel.  Remember those?  I also found a partial box of cartridges.  I could see the cartridges still had ink in them but the question is, (1) will the ink flow and (2) can I still buy cartridges if these don't work.  I can't wait to try it out after the move.

I also found several single earrings in the strangest places.  Since I already packed my earrings I can't match them up yet.  Hopefully, they will put an end to the bucket of singles earrings I have accumulated.  It will be like an early Christmas when I put the pairs together again.

And finally, I found a stapler I thought I lost about three jobs ago.  It was a really good stapler that had an easy push and usually perfect results.  I hated the bad staplers I was given at many jobs - so I bought my own.   Sounds stupid but I loved that stapler. 

Well, that's about it.  I've been slow on keeping up with everyone.  However, I will brag that I've got almost everything packed even though it's a little less than two weeks before the move.  I know most sane people would just be starting to pack, but I have to be prepared because there is always something that pops up at the end and I am just too old, tired and poor to have anything major go wrong. 

Does Anyone Know

I have Blogger set up so I get an email of any response (which I had to finagle after the last set of changes they made).  So now if I want to reply: Do I do it through the reply feature under your comment on my blog? If do that, do you get a copy in your email?  If I respond through email is that a private response from my email to yours?  Or, does that post as a reply on my blog? 

If anyone knows the quick answer I'd appreciate your sharing.  I have so much going on learning this Chromebook that I can't stand the idea of researching what has changed or not changed on Blogger. 

This Really is a New Post

I renewed my domain name last night and apparently some silly things happened - like relisting every post I ever wrote.  So skip any posts but this one because it's been a while.

Catch Up:  I quit my new little job.  About the same time the African Sahara Dust Storm Winds hit Houston, I came down with a ferocious upper respiratory infection.  I don't know whether the Dust Storm really had anything to do with my allergies but since that time I have been one continuous coughing machine. 

The Daughter and I are moving across town back to the area I used to live in.  We are moving from a nice size 2 bedroom apartment to a tiny duplex.  Why would we downsize so drastically?  Well the Daughter's job is about 10 minutes away from the new place.  She works a lot of overtime and there will be a garage space for her to park in instead of the mile trek she has to make at night in this complex. Also, I will be back in the part of town where I lived in my little garage apartment for so long.  All my favorite haunts, etc. will be near again.  The house is so small that I am experimenting with a single bed in my new bedroom instead of my double bed.  I'm keeping the double until I'm sure I can stand the single though. 

Another reason for the move is that we will have a small yard.  It is not fenced but at least I can walk the dogs without traipsing down 3 flights of stairs when the elevator is broken.  Although, I have to say that going down the stairs has kept my knees well oiled.  Going up the stairs has put a bit of a strain on my breathing.  I can breathe going down but not going up.  Go figure.  I'm going to put a couple of chains or long leashes out so that I can secure the dogs outside when they need to have a smell-a-thon or if I'm doing any crafts outside.  Haven't decided if I'm going to take up my ice dyeing again.  I still have a lot of the dyes so I'll think about it later on.

The duplex is very old ... 20s, 30s?  so the closest are very small.  We are going to designate the largest hall closet for the little girls stuff.  I do seem to accumulate so much odds and ends for them.  The new place will also give the girls a yard to be outside and save me from some of the racket and mess. 

Also looking forward to have my plants again.  Turned out my balcony at the apartment had all day sun so I have struggled to keep things alive.  I'm also looking forward to bird feeders again.  I've missed the birds singing. 

We are moving in about a month but I intend to be packed and living out of boxes before then. 

I'll keep you updated and should be back to posting regularly. 

Barbara

P.S. No new pictures because I haven't loaded the software for downloading from my phone to my new Chromebook.  That is a whole other story.  Learning to live without Microsoft is like living without electricity but I'm trying. 

It's raining here but with this heat I wouldn't be outside anyway. I'll just enjoyed fireworks on the TV tonight. Hahaha. Getting old when you don't want to inconvenience yourself.

Raining on My Parade

It's the 4th of July and looks like we will spend the majority of the day inside.  There is a flood watch warning on the news but the rain over my house is steady but not too hard.  It all adds up when it runs into the bayou so fingers crossed.  I have been hoping for a rainy day that would keep me inside and bore me into doing very little.  Looks like I am going to accomplish that.

Last weekend the Grand Girls were here.  The oldest is pretty quiet these days, mostly entertaining herself or playing nicely (most of the time) with her sister.  The youngest, however, is at the get in your lap and talk non-stop stage - almost nose to nose to be sure she has your undivided attention.  She is perpetually happy and is constantly singing, talking and playing dolls while talking.  Never a quiet moment.  So I am glad to have a nice, quiet, boring day.

The daughter is still being very optimistic.  Many good days and quite a few bad in between. Seems like she should be getting her cast off soon but I hate to ask in case she is disappointed.  Her next visit is in two days and I am hoping he will give her good news.

I've added a couple of apps to my phone to listen to books.  I had to quit listening to them in bed at night on the CD player because I had to listen in a volume that disturbed the rest of the household!! Hahaha.  Too many concerts as a kid.  I have, instead, been listening through my cell phone to Overdrive and Hoopla which allow me access through my library for a limited number of free books.  I just lay the cell phone above my head, turn the app on for an hour and listen to my story while I fall asleep.  Sometimes I am awake when the app shuts off and I turn it on again.  I think I was probably asleep for part of the time but like the old joke, turn off the tv and Dad says I was watching that (in my sleep).  At any rate, a suggestion for anyone that might have a similar need.

My job is going well.  I still hate getting up and getting dressed every morning but am ok once my brain kicks into gear.  I think one of my side affects of diabetes is going to be the effect on my brain.  I know that at 67 I am allowed senior moments but it seems so hard to pull information out of my head sometimes.  If I could just forget some of the lyrics to the songs from the 60s, I'm sure I would have a lot of freed up memory I could use.

Be back soon.

Rip Van Winkle

Just call me Rip Van Winkle.  I seem to have slept through all these changes to the internet.  Thank you Kim at Nutbrown Cottage for telling me about the changes to publishing comments.  I didn't know I had to go to blogger to see you made a comment.  Duh. Took me a few tries but I figured it out.  Thank you Kim.  I might have slept through the changes until the hair grew on my chin.  Unfortunately, there are a few of those now. 

Thank you for the thoughts on my daughter.  She is a real trooper and is continuing to gradually improve.  She said she would be happy if she can just get back to feeling old!  Honey, at 40 you don't even know what old is!!

The Grand Girls are here this weekend.  The youngest will be 5 next Friday.  I took these pictures today.  She is wearing a (pink) wig that my daughter bought when she went to a Pink (the singer) concert.  She is such a ham.