Inspirational Quotes

Day 18 of 366 surrounded by crazy

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I have a migraine nerve block appointment which involves a series of injections surrounding my occipital nerve region. ( It’s located on your back left side of your skull just above where your neck connects.) So, I say to the physician’s assistant, can we go a bit lower with the injections because my neck is very inflamed . Her response was the insurance covers specific areas. I look at her and say there’s not anyone in this room but you and I, how would they know your injecting me lower than usual. Her response was she would know. GRRRR!!

So right now, my migraine is numb, but my neck is so knotted and in pain it’s undermining where I did have the injections. It’s frustrating especially when she tells me the earliest, I can have an injection to my neck is a month because of lidocaine toxicity. Doctors monitor the doses closely to prevent brain or heart issues. Which brings me back to migraines. If this toxicity is a problem, why have I had nerve blocks for 13 years monthly without anyone saying they need to be cautious?

And why has there not been other options available offered to me?

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” —Proverb

Looking at the other craziness of the day, we have more than 100,000,000 people on high alert as Polar Vortex grips the U.S. Since this cold snap begun 43 people have died.

Buffalo looks especially scary to me with the playoff game happening there this weekend. People at the game in Kansas City suffered frost bite from the cold weather. Will Buffalo have better conditions come game time.

A plane from American Airlines slid off the runway upon landing at an airport in New York. The aircraft exited the taxiway while in transit to the terminal due to snowy airfield conditions” and veered into the grass. Those passengers must have freaked out seeing that. I know I did when I was flying on American Airlines coming into Logan Airport back in 2003. We slid off the runway too! I was scared! And then having to depart the plane on the metal stairs and riding the bus back to the terminal. Whenever I fly, I remember that flight. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I look at every airline’s website, check the prices before I look at American Airlines.

Out in my neck of the woods- Snow in the Rocky Mountains this week has brought some hope for another wet winter to feed the Colorado River. When that snow melts it flows down tributaries of the Colorado River, through dams along the way and eventually into Lake Powell. From there, water is released down the Grand Canyon and into Lake Mead. We need another record accumulation of snow to overcome the megadrought that began in the year 2000. which reduced the amount of water in the entire Colorado River Basin. The climate experts expect that trend to continue — despite last year’s above-average snowpack. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projections released on Tuesday indicated an expected drop at Lake Mead for the next two years.

Unfortunately, in the Middle East, Pakistan retaliates with strikes inside Iran as tensions spill over. “Iranian state media reported that at least nine people, including three women and four children, were killed in the strikes, while Pakistani officials cited the deaths of “a number of terrorists. The Pakistani attacks, carried out with “drones, rockets, loitering munitions and standoff weapons,” were launched in response to Iranian strikes inside Pakistan on Tuesday that killed two children, according to Pakistani officials.” (1)

Violence between Iran and Pakistan and Israel and the Gaza Strip on the surface seem separate but they both targeted militant groups that primarily pose local challenges. Pakistan has maintained the Tehran has turned a blind eye to militants operating in Iran. Iran accuses Pakistan of seeking Israeli assistance. Thankfully neither country is hostile to each other yet. But if the strikes continue that will change.

Ali Harb and Brian Osgood wrote,” Netanyahu says that Israel must “maintain security control over all territory west of the Jordan River”, despite US talk of “working toward a two-state solution”. (2) Change has to happen before they destroy each other completely.

Today, I finished the F-16 Fighting Falcon. All that’s left is my doctor’s airplane and then the quilting begins. I’m excited it’s gone together so easily. I’m looking forward to giving it to my doctor. 

I’ve made four wall-hangings this past year. (Two Halloween and Two Christmas)

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” —Anonymous

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pakistan-fires-retaliatory-strikes-at-iran-raising-fears-of-new-conflict

(2) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/18/israels-war-on-gaza-live-medicine-arrives-for-captives-palestinians

Day 16 and 17 of 366

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2024 thus far has not lacked for craziness. We’ve had three major winter storms that have caused havoc on our lives and in some instances taken lives. We’ve had earthquakes, avalanches, flooding, and tornados just in the month of January. There’s eleven more months ahead of us, I don’t about you but I’m hesitant to look ahead. There’s some peace of mind in not knowing everything. “Being crazy isn’t enough.” ―  Dr. Seuss

Sadly, Iowa caucuses were predictable. I know I shouldn’t put this out in the universe but I’m going to anyway because it’s how I really feel. I want to know where an assassin is when we really need one. The media circus we’re experiencing isn’t to go away until Trump is dead, and clearly all the McDonald’s he consumes isn’t happening fast enough.

Better Homes and Gardens reported “Last year, the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicted that prices would increase over 5.8 percent, In January, at-home food prices were 11.3 percent higher than they were at the same time in 2022.” Just what we all wanted to know that in addition to the high fuel costs our food is going up even more so, In 2024, prices are still set to increase, but thankfully at a slower rate. “The ERS predicts a 2.9 percent increase in food prices overall, and only a 1.9 percent increase for at-home food prices. Food away from home, or food purchased at restaurants or for takeout, are set to increase by 4.3 percent.” (1)

Beef, pork and dairy are a given with the recent drought conditions. Plus, you factor the reduced growth rate, it’s no wonder the prices are higher. Supply and demand 101. We have less livestock to consume so naturally a higher price. Thankfully, egg prices are going down again after all the chickens were destroyed with the bird flu epidemic. Fish and seafood are high but there’s no indication of an increase or a reduction reflected in the numbers. We’re going to have change our food consumption to survive.

I believe more and more families will be reducing the amount and type of food they serve to cover medical and heating expenses for their families. In the old days, a huge dinner meal was served and the left-overs were served as breakfast. There wasn’t cereal, Poptarts, or pastries as we enjoy today. Nor did the majority of people eat lunch back then. They made it work. We may have too!

The West Coast is really wet and it’s going to continue through the weekend. The rain doesn’t look like it’s subsiding. Hopefully, the higher elevations get the snow. Lake Mead needs a lot of snow to recover from its 20-year drought than what we had in the winter of 2023.

And the mid-west is freezing, and electric car owners are discovering batteries don’t like the cold. The batteries take longer to charge, and the driving distance is reduced. Electric car owners don’t have access to charging stations to meet the demand of these kind of conditions. And it looks like Thursday night, more frigid weather and snow is going across the United States.

I wonder sometimes if Mother Nature is tired of our abusing the planet, and this is our payback for not taking climate changes seriously. If you’re not concerned read the information Deep Vakil and Scott Di Savino brought to our attention more reasons to be concerned about this winter season.

“US natural gas demand hits record high amid severe cold snap,” says, Deep Kaushik Vakil and Scott Di Savino. Their article shows what U.S. homes and businesses used Tuesday. It was a record amount of natural gas because the demand for the fuel for heating and power generation soared during rhe Arctic blast. The Artic Blast cut gas output to near a 13-month low by freezing wells.

“U.S. gas demand jumped to a preliminary 167.8 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) on Tuesday, the financial firm LSEG said. “That would top the previous all-time high of 162.5 bcfd set in December 2022 during Winter Storm Elliott, according to federal energy data from S&P Global Commodities Insights.”

“Meanwhile, U.S. gas output dropped by 17.0 bcfd from Jan. 8-16 to 90.6 bcfd on Tuesday, its lowest since December 2022, according to LSEG, due primarily to freeze-offs, which occur when wells, pipes and other equipment freezes. One billion cubic feet of gas is enough to fuel about 5 million U.S. homes for a day.”

(Reporting by Deep Vakil in Bengaluru and Scott Di Savino in New York; Editing by Paul Simao) (2)

Freezing temperatures can do a lot of damage in businesses, and in our homes which will also drive the costs up for the necessary repairs that follow. I know from my own experience what broken water lines can cost and how long we waited until a plumber could come to make the repairs because we weren’t the only household with broken lines.

China has joined US with the odd weather. Evacuation underway for stranded tourists after avalanches trap 1,000 people in China. Rescuers evacuated tourists on Tuesday from a remote skiing area in northwestern China where dozens of avalanches triggered by heavy snow.

My deepest sympathy to the Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic’s family and team. He died at the age of 46 after he fell ill during a meal at the team’s hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. Golden State Warriors are a San Francisco based team.

My deepest sympathy also to the family of Ryan Pemberton. He was a long time crew chief in Nascar. “Ryan Pemberton was instrumental to JR Motorsports’ success during the decade he spent with us,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, JRM’s CEO. “He had such a passion for competition and, as a leader, knew how to motivate everyone he worked with. He will always be part of the JRM family. Our hearts go out to his wife Andrea and daughters Payton and Britton during this tremendously difficult time.”

Pemberton was joined by his siblings in motorsports.  Each brother carved careers in Nascar.  His older brother Robin was a veteran Cup Series crew chief who later served as NASCAR Vice President of Competition. Currently, he serves on an INDYCAR appeals board panel whose job is to hear all appeals. Former NASCAR official John Darby also serves as an INDYCAR board member.

Randy Pemberton, who died in 2022 at age 62, was a popular broadcaster as a pit reporter and studio host. the New York native was best known as the voice of Inside Winston Cup Racing on TNN and for his Winston Cup Hotline in the 1990s.

His younger brother Roman Pemberton has worked as a spotter in various NASCAR national circuits but does appear to have gotten into several awkward situations.

I’ve been a Nascar fan for many years, so I’ve seen the Pemberton brothers in action. Ryan will be deeply missed.

The quilt is coming together nicely, I just finished the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It’s an American single-engine supersonic fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the US Airforce. Its design gave it air superiority as a day fighter, and it evolved into a successful all-weather multi-role aircraft. The F 16 is all gray. All that remains to be done is the Doctor’s own plane. Then I can complete the attic window assembly and machine quilt it with small and large stars.

If you’re coming to Las Vegas, giving you a heads up. “Standing or stopping is now banned on pedestrian bridges on the Las Vegas Strip where visitors often pause to take photos amid the glittery casino lights or to watch street performers. Violators of the ordinance that took effect Tuesday could face up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.”- L.A. Times (3) I’m not sure what is to be gained here by such restrictive bans. And who is going to monitor the pedestrian bridges, it’s already a nightmare to get law enforcement for a real safety issue.

I’m going to leave you today with this quote by Emilie Autumn

“Some are born mad, some achieve madness, and some have madness thrust upon ’em.”

I’m going for madness thrust upon me. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

(1) https://www.bhg.com/more-expensive-less-expensive-groceries-2024

(2) https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-natural-gas-demand-hits-record-high-amid-severe-cold-snap

(3) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/think-twice-before-snapping-a-photo-on-a-las-vegas-strip-pedestrian-bridge-or-risk-jail-time

DAY 14 and 15 of 366 and the craziness keeps happening.

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Looking at the headlines: Crazy is the new norm. I know without a doubt that no matter what is happening in my life, some one has it worse.

Airlines scrap thousands of flights as wintry weather disrupts travel. More Than 3,700 Flight Delays and Cancellations Monday as Arctic Blast Lingers. Dangerously low temperatures are affecting more of the country than not. This year will definitely be a year people will discuss in the future because of the different storms and the horrendous damage that followed. (1)

I remember the heavy accumulations of the winter of 1977 vividly because I couldn’t see out the first-floor windows of my home in Maine until April. It was like living in a cave. Unfortunately, window casings aren’t designed to be buried in snow, so we had a lot of water damage as the snow melted and froze again. The crazy ice storm the winter of 1998, schools, and businesses were closed for over a week because of the power outages. Our home didn’t have power for 3 weeks. Thankfully, we kept water stocked up in case our water lines froze. They didn’t this time because of the woodstove but water pumps require electricity, and the ice broke a lot of lines. We were more fortunate than some because we emptied our freezer and refrigerator and put everything in the majority of the coolers outside. (We camped a lot over the years, so we had quite a few coolers on hand.) One we kept inside for milk, eggs and butter which we added ice chunks to from outside. We heated our home with wood, so that stove became a cooking area as well as the gas grill in the shed. We melted snow for the toilet. We improvised as much as possible to get by. I’ve never forgotten either of those winters. They were definitely survival testaments.

In Iceland, long-dormant volcano erupts, streets on fire. ”Grindavik is a town of 3,800 people about 30 miles southwest of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. The community was previously evacuated in November following a series of earthquakes that opened large cracks in the earth between the town and Sýlingarfell, a small mountain to the north, ” according to Marco DiMarco a reporter for USA Today. The volcano’s seismic activity has increased sharply over the past day and another eruption has occurred. There were two eruptions in December and once it was safe emergency workers begun creating defensive walls to divert the lava but time ran out before they were completed. I can’t imagine seeing the lava flow knowing there is nothing you can do to prevent it.

Attorney Joe Tacopina withdraws from Trump’s legal team. The motivation behind Tacopina’s departure remains unclear. He confirmed to The Hill he was withdrawing from Trump’s cases but declined further comment. (3) ”A former Brooklyn prosecutor, Tacopina gained a reputation for cultivating high-profile clients long before he added Trump to his list. Over the years, Tacopina has represented celebrities like Michael Jackson, A-Rod, Meek Mill and Don Imus. He is also representing A$AP Rocky as he defends against two criminal assault counts, to which the rapper pleaded not guilty earlier this month.” Do lawyers have consciences? I’m looking at the cases this man has represented and wonder if at the end of the day was the money really worth it to represent these celebrity characters. The craziness of the whole Trump situation unfortunately isn’t a 2024 event, it’s been happening since the 2016 election and the insanity just keeps escalating.

One killed, 17 injured in twin attacks in Israeli city of Raanana. Why? It’s been one of the world’s longest-continuing conflicts. Key areas of the conflict include the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, borders, security and water rights, as well as Palestinian freedom of movement and the Palestinian right of return. It’s been over 100 days since Hamas launched an air, sea and land assault. According to The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 2023 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the territory since it began keeping records in 2005.

Over the past 100 days, Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground assault of Gaza has killed nearly 24,000 – roughly one percent of the besieged strip’s population of 2.3 million. Nearly 2 million displaced, thousands of homes destroyed and — 10,000 of them children.  (23,469 Palestinian and 1,200 Israeli) It’s appalling to me that we’re keeping track of deaths. Why can’t a peaceable agreement be achieved? Why is violence the first approach? (4)

(WASHINGTON) — A fake 911 call that the White House was on fire sent emergency vehicles to the complex Monday morning, when President Biden and his family were at Camp David. There’s been so many fake reports lately, I feel bad for the police, fireman, and first responders. The insanity of 2024 has to end..

My embroidery project is down to the last two sixteen inch squares. I’ve completed two sixteen inch squares with these planes: Kittyhawk, Spirit of St. Louis, Curtis Jenny, Fokker DR-1, P-51 Mustang, B-17, B-29, and the F-14 Tomcat. The square I’m working on presently has the 117-Nighthawk, Bell UH-1, Bell-X1 and the F-16 Falcon. Each of the planes is 7 inches by 7 inches inside the square. The final square only has a 10 inch images of this plane The Sikorsky S-42. I am looking at some other images to add to the final square so I have a balanced presentation. The Nighthawk is the first plane that the military require to be completely black in color. It was also called the Stealth fighter.

Each of the squares will be cut into smaller blocks and then surrounded with borders of navy, gray and black in the attic window design.

I asked my doctor which he prefers surgery or flying. I chuckled because he said both. Surgery pays for his love of flying.

 “Any idiot can get an airplane off the ground, but an aviator earns his keep by bringing it back anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances that man and God can dream up.” Walter Cunningham, 

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/over-11-000-us-flights-were-affected-monday-by-severe-winter-storms

(2) https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/really-nothing-else-we-can-do-new-volcano-eruption-in-iceland-sends-lava-flowing-toward-homes

(3) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-lawyer-joe-tacopina-withdraws-from-ex-president-s-cases/

(4) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/one-killed-17-injured-in-twin-attacks-in-israeli-city-of-raanana

(5) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fake-911-report-of-fire-at-the-white-house-triggers-emergency-response

Day 13 Another day, another list of crazy

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Oklahoma City had an earthquake Friday night the 4.3-magnitude quake. The Saturday morning earthquake. with a 4.1 magnitude Saturday morning. State seismologist Jake Walter told USA TODAY the area has recorded about 18 earthquakes in a 12-hour span.  Friday night the 4.3-magnitude quake had an epicenter about a mile away from the Saturday morning earthquake.

The Midwest has freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions. Governors from New York to Louisiana have declared it an emergency, with harsh conditions expected in St Louis. Experts with National Weather Service have issued warnings about “life-threatening” cold. temperatures.

Yet, the wildcard game is still happening in Kansas City between the Chiefs and Miami. The dangerously cold’ Chiefs-Dolphins game could be one for the NFL history books. WHY????

Go Miami! Yup, a Dolphin fan since Larry Csonka played. Yup, I’m dating myself here.

Why is the NFL subjecting the players and the diehard fans to such extreme conditions?

Is anyone familiar with the author Octavia Butler and the book Parable of the Sower? I highly recommend reading it. In case, you don’t know Octavia Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer and a multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards.  Her story written in 1993 depicts a future America ravaged by ecological collapse and civil unrest.  Sound familiar, Butler indicated that the issues faced by the characters in “Parable” and by the United States today in 2024 were inevitable. (1) I’ve just finished reading the book, I bought it during Covid when it was on the NYTimes best sellers list, twenty-seven years after it was written but unfortunately my book hoarding got out of hand, and it was shuffled down in my stack to read. After reading the book, and then seeing George Bass’s article in the Washington Post I’m inclined to agree with him. Dystopian fantasies are beginning to look, like everyday life these days.

 Butler saw our tendences of enforcing hierarchy through abuses of power as the root weakness of humanity. If you’re watching the political circus going on around us her words ring true.

Let’s all send positive energy into the universe for these two U.S. Navy SEALs who are missing off the coast of Somalia after having fallen into the water during a nighttime boarding mission on Thursday, according to two U.S. officials. It’s a dangerous hotspot to be missing. I remember when my son served in the Navy, and his ship was in dangerous places how hard it is to simply wait to get an email. My heart goes out to these families. (2)

My Wiccan spirit asks we send positive energy in the universe so that the non-stop violence around the world ends and we remember that we’re all family on this planet called earth before we destroy it. How crazy is that? One family…one planet.

My embroidery project update: I have completed the B-17 and the B-29 today. I’m still in my nightgown and I’ve been vegging in the recliner sewing. I didn’t sleep well last night, though I thought I would after being so emotionally drained. Instead, I watched my cats playing and read about the B17 and the B29. I’ve been learning about each of the planes, what their color schemes were so my creative endeavor is as authentic as I can stitch it for my doctor.

Both of these planes are Boeing aircraft, a generation apart. Both were considered flying fortresses. The B29 was designed to operate faster at higher attitudes with heavier bomb loads. The B-29 was primarily used in the Pacific theater in WWII whereas the B-17 was used primarily in the European theater of WWII. Theater is an interesting word in this commentary, don’t you agree? Why would anyone refer to any area of the war as a theater but that’s the wording used. I looked it up, “In warfare, a theater of theatre is an area in which important military events occur or are in progress. It may include airspace, land space or sea areas.” (3)

It changes the feeling when going to a show for me. Maybe it should have changed Lincoln’s desire that night to attend the theater and history might have had a different outcome for African Americans sooner than it did.

“Ignorance grows. All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth Is Change.” Octavia Butler

(1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2024/01/13/octavia-butler-2024-parable-sower/

(2) https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/two-navy-seals-are-missing-after-thursday-night-mission-off-coast-of-somalia/ar-AA1mVkZ1

(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theater_(warfare)#:~:text=In%20warfare%2C%20a%20theater%20or,become%20involved%20in%20war%20operation

Through a child’s eye

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I’ve often wondered what life would be like if the rules of our society were based on my nine year old’s perspective. What would be important to me and what wouldn’t?

Would I eat two breakfasts instead of one? Would either of them be healthy? The adult me still loves Poptarts like her nine year self. Though, I don’t feel the need to hide what I’m choosing as I did back then. My grandmother let me have Poptarts at her house with a half of grapefruit and a cup of coffee but my mother said not in her house. My mother insisted cereal for breakfast like what she bought was healthier than a Poptart… Lucky Charms, Sugar Pops, or Trix really was so much better.

Nine year old me would have preferred having either one without all the squawking and finger pointing that I was being spoiled by my grandmother. I didn’t need special breakfasts with fruit and coffee.

But that’s just a narrow focus now when even back then I was aware of so many social injustices that needed change. My friends shouldn’t have to drink at a different water fountain than me. Nor should they have to sit in the back at Woolworths. Why couldn’t we all sit together. A child doesn’t see skin color. A child only sees the actions in the moment. A child is taught to judge. A child is taught hatred. A child is forced to choose.

“All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams.”- Elias Canetti

My world would eliminate all prejudice. My world everyone would love one another. Heck, I would give us all rainbow colors and we’d all be playing at the park together. School wouldn’t be required.

Just to be safe I would make every adult unable to speak or to act in a mean manner. There wouldn’t be guns. or any way to hurt another. Yup, my nine year self needed a safe place. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that so it’s fun to imagine a sweet place to exist before my childhood was stolen.

“The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don’t know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened.”- James Arthur Baldwin

Time of Day

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Stop the clock! Have you ever considered how often we do the same thing at the same time each day? We self schedule our lives even when it’s not necessary.

I’m retired, yet I get up before six am every day. It’s not because I have anything urgent going on. I desire coffee and reading time before any one in the house rises. It’s me and the fur babies. A couple of snuggles with them while the coffee brews and then it’s to love seat with my coffee and book. That’s an ideal beginning to any day for me. My husband always asks why don’t I sleep in. I truly look forward to my quiet time. Life’s to short to not do what gives us joy.

I discovered an interesting read by C.S. Lewis about grieving. His wife died of cancer and the book shares not only his grief but an understanding of love. All of us experience grief differently despite the theory of five stages. This year has determined I will process whether I’m ready or not.

Discovering that I had a mini stroke from one of my migraines forced me to think about life’s shortcomings and blessings. In between the flurry of MRI’s and brain tests, my mother passed and my niece committed suicide. I was shocked at my niece’s choice to end her life. I was relieved my mother passed. My brother took our mother’s passing hard but then he was close to her whereas her and I never had a relationship. If that wasn’t enough to process, my brother was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer and doesn’t have his mother to help him cope. I’m all he has now.

Life doesn’t schedule inconveniences. It just happens. Like Johnny’s unexpected death in 2019, my son, his father’s determination to lose himself in the clutches of crystal meth. My niece choosing death when her whole life was ahead of her. Cancer claiming another victim in my family. My migraine purgatory added a surprise just to remind me to be in the moment.

So yes, my morning routine has immense joy to me. I’m blessed to enjoy snuggles with my fur babies. I’m blessed to love and be loved by an amazing man. I’m blessed to co-habit with not just my husband but with my daughter and granddaughter in Las Vegas. I’m blessed to have one of my sons moving forward in his life with his family after retiring from a twenty six year stint in the Navy. I pray the other son will make the choice to get help. Nothing I say or do reaches him so what ever happens will happen.

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” – Kahlil Gibran

Live in the moment, is all I can do and show my loved ones how much I love them. Lewis reminds us all the power of seeing not only life’s enchantments while not being disenchanted because even with no sense of joy or sorrow life’s intimacy will/does sharply embrace us before eventually restoring us. Simply a matter of believing.

“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.” – Black Elk

Selling your home isn’t for the weak of heart part 6

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I packed a lot of my bulkier pans today, and moved the ones that I had hanging on the copper pot bar by extra hooks into the cupboard. The pan rack came with six copper hooks but I had way more pans than that so when we hung it up we doubled the chain support and bought extra wrought iron hooks to hold my handled pans. This freed up the cupboard space for all the non-handled pans. The cupboards look less congested now. I didn’t want the next owner thinking all the wrought iron was included when she returns with the building inspector on Tuesday. People are quite presumptuous.

I’m still amused that she noted all landscaping in the bid. Upon further discussion, she was including my planters which are not permanent. Sorry about your luck, buy your own. Some of my planters went to my son’s and some are going with me. When we moved here there was nothing but that ugly green ivy that contractors use. The previous owners did nothing prior to us. In the back yard, I’ve planted hostas, peonies, juniper, hydrangea, lilies, and 2 beautiful rose bushes. There was a rhubarb patch but I’m not seeing it yet this spring. We did have a very wet and cold winter so it may not be returning. In the front, I’ve planted more hostas, 2 more roses, daffodils, lilies, tulips, gladiolus, and a weeping cypress. It’s a lot prettier than it was.

Macavity’s portable dvd player arrived yesterday. He wore out ours watching a cat sitter dvd. Yes, they make videos for cats. It has a continuous loop with birds at a feeder, mice playing in a cage, pigeons on a sidewalk, an owl in a tree, chipmunks scurrying in the grass, butterflies and cricket sounds in a meadow and the occasional frog. He watches for hours at a time, occasionally trying to catch with his paws. Originally, I got the dvd because he had separation anxiety when he first came to our home.

One of the funniest experiences with the original dvd player was the button to turn it on was on top. The television is a touch screen. I used to walk over touch the tv and then the dvd player before we left to do errands. Macavity recognized my scent and began turning the tv and player on himself. It would come on in the middle of the night basically whenever he wanted it. The little shit would even interrupt my program by pushing the dvd start button. Anyway, a friend was spending the weekend with us and I warned him he might hear the tv in the middle of the night. Not to be concerned it would only be Macavity. He rolled his eyes at me.

Surprise, in the morning he says to me the tv woke him up and when he got up to see he noticed our door was open and we were both in bed. Yeah, the hall light does luminate our room if we don’t shut the door which we typically don’t so our cats have free roam. He came downstairs to investigate and no one was visible so he shut the tv off. He didn’t make it up the stairs and the tv came back on. I burst out laughing. And reminded him that I warned him Macavity liked his tv time.

I’m hoping between the familiarity of riding in the car, the lavender calming collar and the dvd player will make our move a positive experience for all of us. I moved it to the bench so I could use my table. He’s intently watching right now while I write. He hopped down off the bench, grabbed a snack while I was packing and returned to the dvd. Usually, he paces while I pack things. Change isn’t easy for Macavity.

7 days left in April and 30 days in May and this experience ends and our new one begins.

Did you see yesterday Joe Long passed. He’s the second member of the Four Seasons. Tommy DeVito passed last fall. Covid didn’t care that they were talented musicians. I’ve been listening to a lot of oldies while I pack. Like Macavity, I need to be less stressed with this what seems like an insurmountable task.

I saw this yesterday . It reminded me of conversations I had with a dear older friend in Maine. There are still several things I haven’t managed but I will. I’m looking forward to a new beginning.

“A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own even if she never wants
to or needs to…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her
dreams wants to see her in an hour…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a youth she’s content to leave behind….
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …..
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black
lace bra…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who
lets her cry…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone
else in her family…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a
recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
a feeling of control over her destiny…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
HOW TO QUIT A JOB,
BREAK UP WITH A LOVER,
AND CONFRONT A FRIEND WITHOUT RUINING THE FRIENDSHIP…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but it’s over…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t
take it personally…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…”
― Pamela Redmond Satran

Selling your home isn’t for the weak of heart part 4

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Our house has been on the market now 2 weeks with about 15 perspective buyers wandering through our home. One outright said it was to expensive. Well, it is selling for five thousand over the evaluated tax price listed with the town, so I don’t think so. Nor is higher priced than the other three in our development that have recently sold. So get real

We did, especially since we came into this house when the market was higher and paid high for this house. And then ended up syncing 50,000 in here for windows and sliding glass door. No they’re not typical windows, they’re all custom sized bay windows. The worse was the nine foot by four foot in the living room. But price wise the nine foot sliding glass door was close. Can’t change the size because of the Home Owners Association. Never going to live with one of them again. Let’s just says assholes and leave it at that.

We had three others express interest but only one actually made an official offer. Unfortunately, it wasn’t high enough to cover the mortgage and closing costs and leave us with enough to pay for our move. We didn’t expect a high profit margin, truly all we needed was enough to cover the move and make a deposit on a rental. Just in case, you aren’t familiar with closing costs, the state gets a chunk, the town gets a chunk, the realtor and legal fees. All of them together get more than us. It might as well be a short sale but that typically scares buyers away because the mortgage company has the final say. We would be in the same place financially.

Our mortgage company thus far or should I say like it is the investor who scoffed up our mortgage has been a royal pain in the ass. You know he didn’t pay full price for the loan but damn well expects to make a high turn around. If it wouldn’t be such a huge negative credit mark, I’d simply dump it and let them deal with everything. Because right now we’re negative on what we need to cover hiring a moving company and having the security deposit for our next apartment.

Another showing today, maybe a better offer. It’s good Friday, one can hope.

On the brighter note, I’m enjoying how pretty it looks inside since my son John, Debbie and Brian painted it. The house feels so peaceful inside. Outside, the lilies and hostas have all sprouted. The daffodils and hyacinths are in bloom, the tulips are close. My gorgeous rose bushes all have red new growth. I’m going to miss my gardens. 😦

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
― Lao Tzu

Pondering those things I cherish

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The memories they hold and the stories they tell. On the fireplace mantle I have a piece of driftwood under the picture of the seagull swooping down over the sand. It’s a grayish brown in color and straight with rounded ends. Nothing spectacular visually but it has a story.

I was working for Northern Outdoors Whitewater Rafting at the Forks, Maine on weekends and driving school bus during the week. On this day, I was carrying food down to the halfway point on the Kennebec River like the other bus drivers for the different rafting companies. A friend of mine, Brenda Gleason was there for New England Whitewater. She and I drove school bus together as well. We had time on our hands waiting for the rafts when I pulled the driftwood from the river. Brenda asked me what was bothering me. Typical me, said everything was fine and dandy. That was always my answer when I didn’t want to talk about things.

I put the piece of driftwood in my bus. I didn’t think about the driftwood again until much later. It was gone when I went to retrieve it after my shift. No surprise. At that time in my life, nothing went as as it was supposed to be.

Monday morning I unlocked my school bus and there on the dash of my bus was the missing driftwood with fine and dandy wood burned along the side. I didn’t see Brenda until later in the day. I thanked her for making my driftwood log special.

That piece of driftwood traveled in my Pontiac Catalina, then my Ford truck and then my Dodge Neon before becoming a part of beach décor. I’m guilty of still saying when I don’t want to talk… I’m fine and dandy.

I’m not sure where it will be displayed in our next home but I know it definitely going with us.

“Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.”― Oscar Wilde

Selling a home isn’t for the weak of heart part 2

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The listing went up March 17th. The realtor said there were requests to see the house the very next day. WTF? I didn’t even have it clean yet or all the boxes moved to the basement. I said, not happening. Schedule them for Friday. And then I did what I could get done until Jordi came over. Thank goodness he is young and strong because the boxes alone would have killed me. He did all the running up and downstairs and unassembled the cabinet upstairs so we get it ready for bulk pick-up. He’s been our salvation through the packing thus far.

I went to bed exhausted and it still wasn’t all done. I got up early and continued with the cleaning. I finished with 15 minutes to spare before the first appointment. We have a ridiculous amount of glass and mirrors in here that takes a lot of time.

Macavity and I collapsed in the car together while Vic did a walk through with the realtor.

“Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.” – Robert Tew

It’s stressful enough getting everything done but then trying to find ways to make it easier on Macavity. He hates riding in the car. I can’t say that’s unexpected, most cats react that way. But the alternative is more terrifying to me. Back in 2016 when we had the first realtor experience, she left the sliding glass door open and my cats ended up missing. Purryl and Yeatsie thankfully were only in the lower yard but Macavity was missing for hours. We fired her and withdrew the house from the market. I was so upset that he had been placed in harms way. I stressed to this realtor under no circumstances are the doors to be left open. I didn’t feel confident this would happen so I’m taking Macavity with us. Thank goodness I was still holding Macavity because we came home to the back door open. WTF? Are all realtors brought up in barns? Or without common sense?

Anyway, Friday and Saturday there were showings and now there’s an open house scheduled for this weekend. Macavity did better on Saturday in the car then he did on Friday. Hopefully, this weekend he will as well.

Selling a house during a Covid pandemic, adds another dimension to the picture. I’m faced with wiping all the surfaces once we’re back in the house to minimize the virus risks. I don’t feel comfortable not doing it. So clean before I leave and then clean again once I’m home. Lucky me.

“Welcome to my nightmare.” comes to mind.

We did get the first round of vaccine and the second round is scheduled but Macavity doesn’t have that luxury. He is already compromised with his heart condition so I can’t take any chances.

Yesterday, we worked on finishing the basement floor with interlocking mats. I was surprised what a difference it made, the concrete was freezing. It looks good compared to when we got the house, the previous owner had a blue rug that didn’t match anything down there and there wasn’t even a pad under it which we discovered after the water line broke. We had to pull everything because it got moldy.

“I used to feel like this home was my anchor in a storm, but leaving it… is it saving us from drowning. The taxes alone are staggering, add in the home owners fees on top of the mortgage there’s no way we can survive here. This house has been the gift that kept giving. We’ve had so many repair nightmares. I’m not sad to see it go, but I’m sad at what is involved to get to the next stage in our life. I can’t imagine doing this more than once in a lifetime but people do.