World's Cutest Chef!

My two year old grandson. Happy Halloween!

The Canopy is Out & The Table is Set & the Humble Abode is Sufficiently Anchored

Like the title says, the motorhome is now in place. The canopy is out and the table and chairs are nicely placed under it. Pictures coming soon. The only thing missing is a grill. The old grill bit the dust. It's completely worn out and not worth buying new burners and grids. I've been looking at a Weber Baby Q. This grill is compact, has good reviews and is about $130 with shipping. I'm usually too hungry (impatient?) to wait for wood or charcoal. I admit that my favorite, though, is to cook over mesquite just like Mother did. Daddy built a big bar-b-que pit into our side porch when I was a kid. More often than not, the mesquite was smoking and a steak was on the pit. Mother bought a side of beef at a time from the local butcher. She would probably frown on the gas grill.

My dearest friend in the world, Kristan, passed on an outdoor area rug, so the patio is actually quite nice. I'm surprised that even though there are people parked all around the rv park, it's quiet and peaceful and solitary if I so choose.

Between school and work and downsizing, there hasn't been much time to post. Tomorrow is an anxious day for me because my short story is going to the writer's workshop at school for critique and reviews. After that's over, I think life will be as close to normal as possible.

From This to That

From this...

to this...

I think it's an upgrade. Don't you?

I Like Small Spaces

I'm wrapping up the gettin' rid of things. It is mind-boggling to me how attached I am to my stuff. Am I the only one? Please, I need to know. As these things are falling away, it is getting easier and easier. The problems come when I open a box that contains some silly something of my Mom's that I should throw out but can't bring myself to yet.

I remember that, when I was a little girl, I frequently setup camp in the small bathroom in our family home. It was the only bathroom. It had a bathtub but no shower (the shower came later) and a partition between the tub and toilet. I pinned a blanket up to the wall and partition to make an enclosed space around the toilet, the same blanket I tied around my neck to be Batman, perched on the closed toilet lid and read for hours. In this small safe space, I quietly cried over stories of a lost beloved dog who miraculously found the way back to its family, a terrible tornado that tore a family apart, or long lost love. Until somebody (my older sister) banged on the door and and yelled that I had to get! out! now! There were rules. Most importantly, my feet could not touch the floor or peek out from the protection of the blanket. Sometimes, this could get quite uncomfortable. Until I spread the blanket out on the floor to take a nap.

I'd forgotten about my love of small spaces until I walked into my bedroom tonight and thought, out loud, how much I'm looking forward to being tucked away in the tiny bedroom of the motorhome. I'll miss my king size bed. But I'm ready for the coziness and safety of the small space. Very soon.

"It's Easier Than I Thought!" she said to those who would believe her.

When we moved from the city and did the downsize thing, it wasn't easy. I am too frugal to let go of something that I might need in the future. I sometimes struggle with this "limited thinking," this thinking rooted in the ridiculousness of not being able to re-create what I already have. I think this stems from the last few years of transitioning from financial plenty to financial scarcity.

For example, take my dining table. It's compact enough to fit in my kitchen, easily seats 6, and has a built-in leaf that expands the table to seat 8-10 hungry folks in about 30 seconds. Even better, David picked it up at the Salvation Army Store in Houston for $35. It was a counter-height table and since I didn't want to go out and buy counter-height chairs (see frugal remark above), we cut the legs down to traditional-table-height. It's perfect. But, I don't NEED it anymore. My emotional "limited thinking" side says that this is the last time I will ever, EVER find a table like this. My rational side says if I get rid of it today, inside of a year I won't remember I ever owned it. My stubborn side says that I will never have or want a place big enough to house it.

I refuse to pay $65 a month to store a room full of things that are not individually worth $65. I refuse to store these things, even if the storage is free. I want to release these things to people who will use them. So, get over it, I must. I have a tiny storeroom that will house the most important items which are photos (for a while anyway, in the process of scanning), the old family bible that goes back many generations, and a handful of important records, a couple of pieces that have sentimental value. And for those of you out there who say you've done this and I should do it, too, and it should be easy, please do so from the position of actually having done it.

I'm giving my family the ultimatum, "Come here by (X date) and go through Mom's stuff or I'm picking my favorites and the rest is going." I just have to figure out when X date is. I can't afford to store her things any longer. It's my own fault for not doing this sooner. Now, I'm off to go through some boxes.

Changes, part 49

Wow, it has been a long time since I've posted. Life has settled down and another transition is ahead. I'm selling and giving away most of my possessions and moving full-time into the motorhome. My daughters and grandbaby have moved into their own home here in town. I'm glad they have each other. Their place a craftsman style home with a beautiful front porch and a large completely fenced yard, plenty big for a garden and a clothesline. I'm happy to report that they are planning the garden and using the clothesline, foregoing the dryer most of the time. I'm still working full-time but am back in college and in fact, took my first real classroom exam in 26 years (not counting professional licensing exams) today.

This latest change is prompted by my scumbag landlord who raised my rent just as I completed a one year lease. Scumbag decided that I have to pay for repairs, too. My house has a 26 year old central air conditioning unit that I rarely use. I ran it during my grandson's last visit and it quit cooling. I asked my landlord if I could have it repaired for a small break in my next month's rent. I know a repair person, and all it needed was some freon and the coils cleaned. He wouldn't go for that, so instead, he sent me a bill for the repair - $236. I've paid my rent on time every month, lived with major problems and asked for very little, done tons of work on this place, and cleaned up the despicable mess the old tenant left behind. So, it's time to move on.

I'm back to sorting through boxes, conjuring up memories from the past, recent and distant, and figuring out how to let things go. It's just stuff and every non-living thing is replaceable.

Changes Part 2

I'm back to check in. The dream is still alive and well, thanks to all of you who have been so supportive and caring. Not much to post here except to say that I am adjusting to the recent changes. Two of my daughters are nearby and my oldest daughter and grandson are currently living here. They have found a house and will be moving in August. I love having all of them here and we have had some fun over the last couple of weeks. I've particularly enjoyed getting out in the evenings to walk around the park, up and down the hills. There is nothing like exercise to clear up the cobwebs in my mind. This is a short post, for sure, but I am so grateful to all of you who have reached out to me and want to say thank you.