Projects

I need to apologize for not writing a blog post on Friday – I sidetracked myself with a project that ended up taking a little longer than I anticipated.

One of the things I told hubby I wanted to do when we moved to the new apartment was replace the old filing cabinet. I don't know how old it was, but there's a strong likelihood that it could be 40 years old. It wasn't high end in the first place, and it's been moved too many times to count. All of that actually says that it was in pretty sad shape.....to say nothing of the fact that I no longer need a three-drawer file cabinet, now that the kids are gone and I'm not keeping files for them.

I tried to buy one before our move, so the old rickety one didn't have to come with us. But we couldn't find anyone in town with one for sale. If I'd had an extra box or two, I could have moved the files in those and ditched the old file cabinet. But I had just a few boxes and kept reusing them as I moved stuff over from the house – and by the time of the final move, they were all full of things for the movers to take.

And that was a long way of saying that I ordered a new two-drawer file cabinet online. It arrived just before noon Friday – and I decided around 2 that I would go ahead and assemble it. I opened the box and emptied out all the pieces-parts. After my immediate “what have I gotten myself into?” reaction, I grabbed the instructions and started sorting things out.

In the big picture, it went pretty well. I really didn't have anything that I had to take apart and assemble a second time. The thing that held me up for awhile was the drawer rails. I've put together all types of unassembled furniture. And the TV stand we got not long ago was made by the same company. That helped my familiarity with the different parts. Their instructions are all diagrams. Everything is pretty clearly marked with identifying marks......but there are no words. You have to look at the diagram and figure out that Tab A goes into Slot B.

I'm a visual person, so in the big picture I'd rather have diagrams without words instead of the opposite. I finally forced myself to really focus on the diagrams of the drawer rails, and suddenly I could clearly see how they went. And so I progressed, with the hammer and phillips head screwdriver. Before long, I had the shell done – and it seemed pretty solid.

I took a break for a few minutes, then I built the two drawers and installed them. And whaddya know – I had a file cabinet! The drawer rails worked like a charm. It felt good to transfer our files over and take that old metal monstrosity to the trash. We're both really happy with how the new one looks. But once I conquered that project, it was nearly supper time and I just didn't have the energy left to write a blog!

I hope everyone had as enjoyable weekend as we did. And this weather we have right now is great – our thermometer tells us it's 78 outside. The wind is gusting, but it feels great. Mom and I enjoyed attending a 90^th birthday reception yesterday afternoon for a friend. It's nice to be able to recognize these milestones with people you've known all your life.

It's another day, another week. My goal for this week is to actually find the time to write a blog post five days in a row! We'll all know by Saturday if I manage it or not. 

Ironing

I did something this morning I haven't done in a long time – I drug out the iron and ironing board. I don't think they've been used since sometime around Thanksgiving. That's okay, though I don't really mind ironing. But our winter was so cold that I was wearing sweaters and sweatshirts day in and day out. In fact, the last day I remember using the ironing board was when I finished up the Christmas decorations for the kids and grandkids.

Ironing's not my favorite thing to do, but I don't mind it. When I was a kid, it was one of my summertime chores. Doing laundry has evolved so much since then – it's so simple now! The fabrics used in clothing then was much more susceptible to wrinkling. When the laundry was done, the clothes that needed a good crisp finish were dipped in a liquid starch that had been made from boiling water stirred into powdered starch. The excess was wrung out by hand and everything was hung on the line to dry.

In the evening after doing laundry, all the ironing was set aside for the next day. But before it was set aside, all these carefully dried articles of clothing were sprinkled with water to make them damp and then tightly rolled so they stayed damp all night. Frankly, that was something I never quite understood – why dry them completely and then dampen them again? Why not just take them off the line before they were completely dry and roll them up for ironing? It seemed like wasted effort to me!

Not everyone had to do this dampening process. The really lucky ones – and I think my Grandma Edwards was one – had a glass Pepsi bottle with a sprinkler top that slid into the neck of the bottle. The bottle was filled with water and you could sprinkle the clothes to be ironed as you did them. That was right uptown, let me tell you!

Back in the “olden days” (!) we ironed so many more things than we do now. I vaguely remember Dad's jeans being ironed, some people ironed their bed sheets. Luckily by the time I was old enough to iron, we had stopped most of that nonsense. Still, there were shirts, shorts, slacks, pillow cases, and so many other things that needed to be pressed – and then there were those infernal pieces we'd starched. It took more effort to iron them and make them all crisp and perfect. And so many of those items were dresses with what seemed like endless yards of skirt.

Polyester and permanent press clothing was such a blessing – things that would wash and dry and be ready to wear. Of course, some things that would've been fine coming out of the dryer didn't have the same effect when they came off the clothesline. Especially if it was a really still day, they would come off the line wrinkly and need to have a visit from the iron.

I think Mom still uses an iron that she moved with her off the farm 22 years ago. Those things lasted. But I wouldn't trade it for my steam iron – what a great invention! The old irons, though, were good. If the ironing plate started dragging on the fabric, all you had to do was get a piece of waxed paper and iron over it repeatedly until the plate was waxed up and slid again.

Mom's iron could also be a source of entertainment on nasty days. I remember times of digging out old crayons, grating them down or slivering them with a paring knife, them placing the crumbs between two sheets of waxed paper. Once you ironed over the waxed paper, it melted the crayons and made unique artwork. So my association with Mom's iron wasn't always a negative one!

Still, the hot summer mornings sweating over the ironing board aren't among my favorite childhood memories.

Laundry

Since we've moved into our apartment, there have been several moments that have given me deja vu from college...........on a much quieter scale, of course. But the hallways and doors, individually decorated......the personalities.....the common gathering areas. Somehow it takes me back to the ambiance of McDonald Hall at Missouri Valley!

That feeling hit even stronger this afternoon, when I made my first trip to the laundry room on third floor. It will take awhile for me to get back in the habit of keeping quarters on hand to feed the machines! We have two washers and two dryers on third floor, while there are two washers and one dryer on second floor. First floor residents have to drag their laundry up the elevator.

I don't envy them that trip – I'd hate to load up my dirty clothes and detergent, ride up the elevator, and find that the washers are in use. It's a little bit of a hike for us, at the opposite end of our hallway. But hubby is sweet to help me haul the clothes down so I can start everything at once. I think early afternoon may be a prime time for me to find empty equipment – during soap opera time.

Doing laundry in the dorm was a pain. I can't remember if there were two or three laundry rooms – two washers and one dryer each – for the entire dorm. Two arms of the dorm had three floors each, while the other one had four. I occasionally did my laundry there when the weather was bad. Otherwise, it was easier for me to stuff my dirty clothes into a laundry bag and haul them to the laundromat a few blocks off campus.

I don't remember ever going to the laundromat alone, though it surely happened a time or two. But many of us made the little hike from campus over to Odell Street and Morrow. There was even a footbridge across the little creek so we didn't have to walk on the street. And next door to the laundromat was Dairy Queen. This was the early '70's, and DQ is still in the same spot with a laundromat next door. Sometimes we'd take homework with us, but mostly we'd just run over to DQ and treat ourselves to a small something while our laundry did its thing. Occasionally we'd be fortunate enough that one of our few friends with transportation would be going at the same time and we could ride.

I really enjoyed the two years I spent on the campus at Mo-Val. I'd never been away from home before for any length of time, and I'd never had the opportunity to have a social life. I know I over-did the social aspect, but it was so nice to go places and be included. It was different to suddenly have to share a room with someone I'd never met before. That didn't work out too well, but after a few weeks a dorm room was available that a good friend and I could move into. At the end of first semester we were able to lay claim to a mid-year senior's room and that's where I stayed for the remainder of my college career.

In a way, that dorm room was like our apartment – it was the back corner dorm room and so was much quieter than a lot of the rooms were. I had to share a bathroom, but for two semesters it was with two friends. The last semester was a little different atmosphere when there were two mid-year freshmen in that room. I didn't have quite the same relationship with them, to put it mildly! It may have had something to do with my booting one of their boyfriends out of the dorm when he came to my room instead of theirs – and narc'd them out to the dorm mom. No guys were allowed except on certain weekend hours and with our parents' permission.

The times, they have changed – including the laundry facilities! My experience for today was my first time getting to use a front-load washer. I can't wait to see what new experiences await me tomorrow!

Regulations

Today dawned bright and crisp, with a northerly breeze........okay, it was downright nippy with a biting north wind. We had errands to run this morning, and we both pulled out our winter coats. We're looking forward to the weekend with a forecast in the 70's.

After yesterday's marathon of updating addresses via computer and phone, we did the local ones today. Naturally, we had to go in person to update our drivers licenses. The bank wanted to see us in person, and we needed to update our voter registration cards.

The last time I changed the address on my driver's license, I only remember going in and telling them I'd moved. The fact that I worked in the same building and the employees knew I had moved may have had something to do with the ease of doing that update. And, sadly, times have changed since then.

We walked in to do a simple change of address, get a new sticker on the back of our licenses at no charge, and be on our way. Not any longer. The State Department of Revenue now requires proof of the new mailing address. They have a list of appropriate documents, which they handed me. Naturally, I didn't have anything with me. As I scanned the list, I realized we didn't have anything that was approved. I asked if the printed rent receipt would work – nope, sorry.

So, we made a quick trip home. I stopped at the office and asked the Office Manager for a signed copy of our lease, showing our name and the address. The financial year for HUD either just ended or is just about to – the Office Manager is up to her eyeballs in year-end work.......and that translates to her not having finished up our paperwork. We aren't currently at the top of her priority list. She found our file, signed the lease and made me a copy.

So back to the License Bureau we went. The one worker who had talked to us was again (still??) on the phone, holding for the State Office. This time she was happy with our lease copy and it didn't take long to get the updated stickers on our licenses. She was even nice enough to offer to do our voter registrations for us. So scratch a trip to the Courthouse off our list.

We went to the bank and had much better luck with handling things. Even though we had to go in person, they were friendly and efficient. They updated our account information and even ordered us a new batch of checks with the updated information so we wouldn't have to remember to do that down the road. They had a big container of peanut butter in the lobby, and hubby got excited that we might get a free jar of peanut butter. I think he may have been a little disappointed to discover they were collecting peanut butter to help feed the hungry. :)

After we got that done, hubby decided he should do more calling to update the mailing info on his credit cards. He called one and gave the live person on the other end of the phone the information on what he needed. They started asking all sorts of odd questions, then finally told him the account didn't exist. He repeated the number on the card, and they told him again there was no such account. Evidently if you haven't used your card for a year, it's automatically canceled. This was the first we'd heard of that policy. When hubby asked for some kind of verification the account was canceled, he was refused.

Needless to say, he waited about five minutes and then called another phone number where he got a bit more help. He also got verification that they cancel cards after a year of being dormant – no explanation on why they don't let account holders know that. That card's been properly disposed of. There are just some days that nothing is easy!

It's warmed up outside and the wind has died down. I think it's a good afternoon to walk up to the Library. It's nice to be able to do that.

Done

The Word for the Day is: Done.

We're done packing. We're done cleaning. We're done unpacking. And we're done organizing. It feels so good to have a day that's “normal”.........though after two weeks of moving, I've almost forgotten what “normal” is!

It's nice to be back in the groove. I really don't like the stress level that comes with sorting, packing and moving.......really, who does? It always works out, but I've learned over the years that there can be a Black Hole occurrence during moving that's akin to socks in the dryer. Things occasionally just disappear. Sometimes you find them, sometimes they never appear. But the moment when you are wracking your brain to remember where one particular item was packed – especially when it was thrown in at the last minute – can be frustrating.

Just yesterday I located a pair of scissors that is usually on top of my desk, in a cup filled with pens and pencils. I found it in the wicker basket that sits beside my rocking chair.....the basket that holds current magazines that need to be read, the headset that goes with my computer, and a couple of books. I know why the scissors were kept out – I was using them to cut packing tape. However, I still don't remember why I threw them in that basket.

The one thing I haven't yet found is a jar of Vicks Salve. At the house, it sat on the night stand next to the bed, along with lip balm, eye drops, a flashlight, and a few other items. Those items went into a dresser drawer. I know where they went. I got them out and put them in the bookcase headboard of our bed. Except for the jar of Vicks. It has vanished. I've moved every other item in that drawer, and it's not there. I've doublechecked the headboard and I didn't move it and forget about it. So I've replaced it. I thought I might find it once the replacement was brought home, but it's still MIA.

I have two power cords for my laptop. I packed both of them in the computer case that my laptop moved in. I unpacked the laptop and threw the cords in a drawer – which I remembered 24 or more hours after the move, after frantically searching for them. I opened the drawer for something else and voila! Computer cords. I plugged one into my laptop in the dining area. When I moved my laptop to the living room, I couldn't locate that second cord.

At the time, I thought maybe hubby had plugged the second cord into his laptop. For several days, I unplugged and took my power cord with me when I changed rooms. Over the weekend, the subject came up again. I asked hubby if he had my other power cord. He didn't think so, and helped me search. We found and searched both computer bags with no luck. I checked the drawer again. I decided that computer cord had dropped into that Black Hole with the Vicks.

Saturday as I sat in the recliner with the laptop, I noticed something underneath the desk. It looked like the computer end of a power cord. Yup. My missing power cord. Evidently I had been so efficient that when I discovered the missing cords in the drawer, I pulled them both out and immediately plugged them into the two power strips where I wanted them. Then I immediately forgot all that. The power cord plugged in by my desk had slid off the desk.....but the end plugged into the power strip is big enough that I haven't figured out yet how we both missed it!

It's nice to be settled in again – but without that flurry of activity that we've lived with for the past two weeks, I really am going to have to figure out what to do with myself on a daily basis!

Cousins

We've done well with our move, with not overdoing it and wearing ourselves out or pulling muscles. But you had to know there would be a point when we would hit the wall. That was today. Even though we slept well last night, there was zero energy when we woke up this morning. And the morning coffee infusion didn't help.

I'd planned on finishing up the house today while doing some “free” laundry over there. But I decided the world wouldn't fall out of its rotation if I put that off. Instead, we put together a shopping list and headed to Walmart. It's so warm in the apartment (we're on the third floor, and heat rises) that it was a shock to walk outside and encounter a brisk north wind. It did wake us up, though.

It was good for us to walk away from everything for awhile. We're amazingly settled in, given the short amount of time that's passed – but things still need to be sorted and organized. I just need to remember that it's okay if that doesn't happen immediately. Physically I think we're both at the point that once we sit still for a bit, our bodies creak and moan when we move. And since I'm somewhat vertically challenged with short arms, I'm still bruised from my elbows up where the corners of our boxes dug in. I'll heal, but I'm still sore for now.

It was a nice relaxing drive and shopping trip. And it's always good when we can finagle so it's time for lunch when we get out of the store. And isn't it nice that Dairy Queen is just across the street from the Walmart parking lot! We love their $5 lunch – hubby gets the chicken strip meal and I get the burger and swap out the fries for onion rings. Yummy.

The last time we were there, a couple of weeks ago, we saw one of my cousins, her hubby and her mom. They have a “Wednesday habit” of taking her mom shopping. And today – we parked right next to them. It was a little chilly to talk long, but it was nice to run into them again.

This cousin is part of the family who grew up just half a mile down the road from me. I was closest to the girl who was two years younger than me, and we were back and forth between houses frequently, especially in the summer. But they were all my cousins and friends. The older ones were always special – I felt like they treated me like one of their younger siblings at times.

The oldest one was the second mom to everyone. She did a lot of the housework, gardening, etc., as they were growing up. The second one – the same one I saw at DQ – was a bit more of a tomboy, helping out with farming and driving the tractor. She always had a special spot in my heart because she was in band and would let me play her clarinet when I visited their house. She also designed and sewed clothes for my Barbie doll. They were great, very professional looking.

The only boy in the family was two years older than me – and he picked on me pretty much like he did the girls in the family. Next was the sister I was closest to.......their mom, busy as she was, made us matching dresses a couple of times when we were kids. There were three younger sisters, and the baby was the one who caused me much fright.

The baby shares December as birthday month with me. One bright summer morning I popped in to play and the older kids in the family were arguing over which one got to dress the baby. When I walked in, their mom announced that the argument was over, that I would dress the baby. I was shocked and petrified at the same time. I'm an only child. I'd never dressed a baby. Even dressing my dolls was difficult, and they weren't squirmy. But somehow, with much oversight from the four older kids, I managed. I was so afraid I'd break her!

I was rarely left behind by my parents when I was a kid, but I remember one summer when Mom's high school class had a reunion. I got to spend the evening with this family, and it remains one of my all-time favorite evenings. Usually when I was there it was daytime and everyone was busy. On this Saturday night, chores and farm work were over. So the parents were at the house and relaxing, and the kids were all outside playing together. It was always a fun time at their house, but that was an extra special time.

I've always had the impression that I'm more attached to my cousins than normal since I don't have siblings. They're all very special to me, and I'm glad I have them in my life. Time spent with them is always fun.

Life Changes

When I began this blog last year, my original thought was to chronicle our “Adventures in Unemployment”, sharing the lessons learned and potentially sharing coping mechanisms with others who find themselves unexpectedly without income. The blog morphed in so many differing directions, but I think that may be what keeps it interesting for people!

Today, though, I need to revisit the unemployment issue. We've done well for the past year, though not without some scaling back. We came to the realization that finding work was not going to happen and decided to consider ourselves retired. Recently we took our “next big step” in that direction.

We had enjoyed our small home for almost 14 years. We made a lot of upgrades over that time. We were still comfortable despite our neighborhood changing over the years. About a week and a half ago, after an evening of hearing kids playing basketball in the church multi-purpose room next door, hubby brought up the next morning at breakfast that he had been thinking about our selling the house and moving to a retirement apartment.

A retirement apartment?! Really?! We're not nearly that old..........oh, wait, yes we are. Accepting that reality may have been the hardest part – but I had to admit to hubby that I was having those same thoughts about moving. The more we talked, the more we realized we were both on the same page and we felt no need to ruminate on it any further. We called up the local retirement complex and were told to get an application and fill it out to start the process. We got everything filled out and returned that day and were told two units were available.

We decided it made more sense for us to nab one of those available units than to go on a waiting list that could end up being lengthy. So we wrote out the check for the security deposit, got our keys, and were on our way. I've made some crazy moves in my life, but I'm not sure made one with that little notice! We made some necessary phone calls setting up appointments and started cleaning and sorting. We signed the paperwork on Friday, and by Sunday we moved a couple of loads of “stuff” to the new apartment.

All last week we kept the streets between our house and the new apartment well traveled – we'd pack up enough stuff to load the Jeep, then bring it over and put it away. The process would repeat itself and we were bringing over 2-3 loads each day. The local auctioneer met with us on Tuesday afternoon (he's also the local mover) and we got everything set up – there will be an auction on April 6 that will sell the house and then everything we didn't bring with us. As always, it was unbelievable what we tossed and what we left behind for the sale!

The furniture was moved over early Saturday afternoon. We got the bed made, and I found enough of the bathroom items that we could shower. It felt good to tumble into bed that night and know the major part was over. We gave ourselves Sunday to recuperate, then spent the majority of yesterday at the house. Since the utilities are still on and the appliances operational, I took laundry over. While that processed, I did a lot of cleaning, we cleaned out and sorted the “stuff” in the closet, and I took down all the photos. We brought two more loads over yesterday.

We're nearly done. There's a good load left at the house – or maybe a load and a half. But by moving the way we did, things here are pretty settled. This morning was spent organizing – closets, bathroom, etc. It will be a work in progress for awhile.

But in the meantime, we've felt “at home” here since early last week when a new sofa and chair were delivered – that and curtains hung in the living room was all it took to make it feel like “ours”. We had a lot of good years enjoying our home. But we were both ready for the next phase of our adventure – and to lose the grass mowing, snow shoveling, home repairs, and all those other things that are necessary with owning your own home. This has been a very good decision.

The Need For Green

Another snow-melting day, which is quite nice. I think the forecast last night mentioned snow flirting in the area today, but the sun has been shining most of the day.

Hubby and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Chillicothe today. A look at our “needed supplies” list said we really should go now and not wait for another week to go by. It was a good shopping trip, I found a lot of bargains........and by bargains, I mean that I found a lot of items that were bundled into a pack of two items for much less than buying two individually packaged items. That's always a good thing.

I did have to buy some plastic storage canisters for the kitchen today. This wasn't something I'd planned on, but a couple of weeks ago the plastic lid of my current sugar canister cracked when I opened it. I can't remember how long I've had the current set, which means it probably was time to replace it. The new ones are washed, so as soon as they're dry I can put them in service. I saw some other sets in the store that were stoneware or metal. They looked really sharp – but when I compared prices, there was no question what I would take home.

We splurged on lunch at Dairy Queen. Not only was the lunch yummy, but we ran into one of my cousins, her hubby and her mom on their weekly shopping trip. It's always fun to unexpectedly run into people you know. Now that we've been home a couple of hours and everything's put away, I noticed we're both making strange noises when we get up or sit down. Oh, the joys of getting older!

We were noticing the landscape on our drive to Chillicothe this morning. And we realized we are coming to that point where we are both ready for winter to be over. And since it's now March, I'm right on schedule. I enjoy the different seasons. Fall is always fun as we watch the harvest in progress, and then the sight of the clean fields and rediscovering how far we can see once the crops have been harvested.

Even early on in winter, we enjoy looking at the rolling hills and the shapes of the bare trees. It seems like every year we find some house or barn we haven't noticed before as we drive up and down the highways. Then comes March. And my usual comment is, “I'm so tired of brown! I need to see something green.”

I've done well this winter with the landscape – the weather, not so much. I've complained plenty about the weather. But I've been okay with the landscape. Until today. The brown was just too much. The barn lots, with the snow melting, are mud pits. The cattle and horses alike were covered with mud much of the way up their legs. I don't know if they were miserable or not, but they certainly looked miserable. I thought it was interesting that hubby and I hit that point at the same time.

But, spring is getting closer. Today is Ash Wednesday, Daylight Savings Time springs forward this weekend. We're only 12 days away from St. Patrick's Day. So the spring colors are starting to unfurl, at least on the TV ads! You know, a lot of older gardeners swear by planting potatoes on St. Patrick's Day. I know my aunt and uncle do – not that they plant a garden any longer, but I know they used to do their potatoes on St. Patrick's Day.

When I was in first grade, we had quite a snowstorm on St. Patrick's Day. We shoveled and shoveled. School was closed for a day or two, maybe longer. Snow piles along our road were higher than my head. I doubt they got their potatoes planted that year! But then, maybe they didn't have the harvest they usually did.

I'm glad St. Patrick's Day is getting closer – even if the weather doesn't cooperate, I'll be able to see some green that day!

I'm Back

It's nice to have some warmer temps – again! The snow is melting and running off and we're heading for another round of warmer weather with plenty of mud. We got out for a little bit this afternoon. It was the first time since Thursday of last week that I'd been out of the house.

I haven't been under the weather for a couple of years, but I've been playing hostess to a rather miserable cold since Friday. I've always been the “keep going” type, always having too many things going on to actually stop and rest just because I didn't feel up to par. Not now. We're both home, and hubby likes being able to take care of me. And I've turned into a real wimp.

Bless hubby's heart, he made two trips out in the cold weather for me – one trip to get me an icy Diet Coke from McDonald's (and he got a couple of 2-liter bottles from the store while he was out and made sure we had filled ice trays in the freezer) and another to get some NyQuil nighttime capsules. This was after I discovered that my cold medications had expired two years ago. Like I said, I do this every other year. While I was going through the cold medicine, I got really radical and tossed one box I ran onto that had expired in 2000. (Before you laugh too much, you might want to check your own medication stash – time flies!)

The grandkids had another snow day yesterday. The 5-year-old was especially happy since she got to stay home with Mommy. I think her mommy was happy too – she was trying to finish up work for her school's Lit Academy! I listen to her talk about all the things she has to do for school, and I don't know how she finds time to actually teach.

I'm glad we're having some more warmer weather this week. I'm ready for it, and I'm ready to feel like getting outside a bit! The single-digit temps of the last couple of days just weren't any fun, and spring's not that far away!