Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts

Sunday, August 3, 2014

MOVING ON Part Two

Part Two is made up of two parts... One moving stuff in and getting it settled and Two getting used to apartment living again. I LOVE IT! 

I had the help of some of my gal friends and I managed to get a lot done this past week. There have been many delays.. the weather for one, my exhaustion for another. Making so many trips to the apartment by the car loads just plain wore me out. I know that at the end I will be more than satisfied that I did it mostly by myself and that I accomplished a lot. I didn't really have any furniture to speak of. Some small things and a lot I will be picking up along the way. I gave away a lot when I had no place to store them and others kept them safe for me. It was good to see them again. This chair was found at an estate sale. My girlfriend and I got it into her car and took it to it's new home. I love to rock in it. Matches things great.  We stopped by this large sale and saw many things there priced really low and some really new. I was excited to say the least. I learned that the children were selling the whole house full after their last parent, their father had died not three weeks before. I sat in the chair and it was so comfy. I really appreciated how clean and new looking it was. The lady teared up and said" I can see my mother rocking in that chair." That is all it took.. I started crying myself. I told her that I would take very good care of the chair and cherish the memory of her mother.It was a moment I would never forget. I have spent many hours in it so far...thinking about new life and new beginnings.
                                                           


SALT.. a clock.. a hammer...soap,how could you forget these things?? Well I did..I found myself without a lot of small things. Scissors, a screw driver. I remembered so well where they were in our old home. How many we had of each kind... all gone now. Starting over at my age is not easy..there are a lot of bumps along the way but I will get there sooner or later.. There is more to come...just have to take time to tell you all about them..it's a real story.. LIFE over again... hopefully for the last time moving too.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

JULY UPDATE...MOVING ON

July is almost over already..hard to believe it. We had such a long winter, I am enjoying the warmth so much. Not the humidity mind you, but the warmth.  In all the crazy goings on with my sister's illness I got a  cellphone call while she was in ICU..sooo unexpected.I almost did not answer it. I went out in the hallway and answered it. I could hardly believe it. A manager of an apartment complex was calling about an apartment that I had been on a waiting list for a long long time.  Did I still need an apartment?? I spoke up and said YES, trying to speed up the conversation and get back to the ICU. Sis was completely out of it with her blood being totally out of balance so I had to be there. She said she would call me back, that one was now available but there was some glitches that would have to be worked out. GLITCHES??? I could only imagine. 
I left the hospital and waited for her call. It seemed that I had to rent the apartment by July 1st or lose it to someone else. All the paperwork, deposits and etc. had to be signed by July 1st. That only gave me 4 DAYS to get things together. In the meantime I had to get Sis back home from the hosp and settled and then run like crazy to get all the other things in order. It was hot on June 29, I sat in the office of the manager for 4 longggg hours..  Soo many interruptions made it hard for her to finish my paperwork. Everything had to be done so fast. I got the keys on JULY 1st but the place was still being cleaned and touched up. Seems the woman who lived there was there for 24 years and so they had to completely clean and renew all the carpets and flooring and etc..The manager told me that all the tenants were jealous of my brand new place. I was happy..nothing OLD about it. So I began moving some things over and then  
OUR POWER WENT OFF AT HOME FOR FOUR LONG HOT DAYS. 

I used the apartment fridge for storage for most of our frozen food. The apartment is in another town 15 minutes away. We stayed there in the day time with a fan running and rested up from the hot nights at home. The whole thing was like a crazy story that was hard to believe. Sis was weak but the apartment was on the first floor so she could just walk right in .. NO STEPS.. we both were happy about that. Waiting for the oil base wall paint smell to go away, I moved load after load of my stuff there in our car. Very time consuming and tiring. As I unpacked,  I was reminded of how many of my things were from my friends and family. We do cherish our memories and I have made many.
I brought in a  camping table, sure has come in handy, I got phone calls about what things I would need or want. I was shocked that so many had items they no longer wanted. In no time at all I would have an apartment full.  Stay tuned for part 2!!!



Saturday, April 12, 2014

MOVING ON

Making baby steps to a new beginning takes time and work. Like two steps forward and 10 steps back. That is what it seems to be for me these days. I just am tired of all the confusion and unknown factors.  I am making an effort to move again and do all that packing and sorting that one does. I will be so glad to settle.. for me I want to get to a nice place and stay for a good long while.  Don't know when..so I wait..
                                         MEANWHILE.......
A family member is ill and I am trying to cope with that and find answers. The doctors seem to want to test everything and still not find the solution to the problem. Meanwhile the person gets sicker and sicker. Sad to say I have voiced my opinion to some of the said DOCTORS and have gotten those looks. YOU know what ones those are..." YOU know nothing...I KNOW IT ALL." Oh if they only WOULD listen.  We are on..let's see doctor number 4 now...hmmm maybe they all ought to get together for a consult.. Geez.. it's enough to make a person go crazy. 
                                         MEANWHILE.......
The weather is better so outside I can walk and work in the yard and try to forget all the stuff that is cluttering my mind. Easter is coming and usually I look forward to fixing a nice dinner and visiting with family. This year..not so much. We just want to keep ourselves going any way we can. HAPPY SPRING..the rains are here and the snow is GONE..except for those nasty big dirty piles in parking lots.. Hope that is the last of it til DECEMBER!!!      HAPPY SPRING FINALLY!!



Wednesday, January 8, 2014

A BRAND NEW YEAR!!

Something called a POLAR VORTEX came down and blasted its way over more than half the USA. Snow and ice all the way to Alabama. Never seen this much snow in ten years some were saying. The stores were packed and people were smart to stock up. Literally nothing was running in our area..... for 3 DAYS. Kids are off school because of the COLD not the snow. Plows ran 12 hours shifts and they got the roads cleared pretty fast considering how much snow we had. THE COLD is something else again. I ventured out onto the porch and right back inside. Way too cold for me to breathe in, 14 below zero and 25 below when the wind kicked up. NASTY..Colder than ALASKA..that polar vortex was nothing to fool with. I started wearing so many layers of clothes I feel like an Eskimo... Welcome to 2014?? It's starting out very weird.
                       
This was a shot of town with 6 inches of snow..where they put 14 more I have no idea.

 
I have had this blog at blogger since 2010. I have tried to keep it separate from my Wordpress blog.  Blogging is a venue to express our feelings or talents to the world. 
Well it seems to be really dying out now. I will keep mine around, and write when I feel like it or when I have something to share. What's been happening in my world is something that I had been forbidden to discuss on a public blog. I know that sounds kind of weird but I it's the way it is. Some already know what's going on..others can take any kind of guess they would like. I am NOT in mortal danger or taking drugs etc. but I can say life is not a bed of roses right now. It has not been for some time. I make the best of each day and try to move on. I made some goals for 2014. We will see how well I do. I will update when I can, until then..here are some photos I managed to take while shoveling out this past week. My camera is on it's way out. It has a mind of its own and I have to re do almost every shot I take. Still it takes nice photos.
This poor bush almost broke under the heavy snow, the drift is almost as high as the fence is.

 The snow is as high as the top of the handle. Below you see the van covered up, that is not all drifted snow, it was really deep. 
This was taken before the storm also. We had about 6 inches on the ground.

Stay warm and well my friends...






        

Monday, December 23, 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

FOR some it won't be so merry. A real bad ice storm set thousands without power in our state and it could not come at a worse time. Men are frantically working on restoring it and more snow and such could make it a really tough go of it. We managed to get the least amount of ice and I was glad. Our driveway is a skating rink..so cold the salt won't melt the ice on the roads or the sidewalks. Treacherous is a word that many people are using over the past few days. I managed to get my shopping, what little I did, over early. Was so glad I did that!  I went in the pouring rain to do my small tasks and prayed I would not catch pneumonia it was so cold. 
HAPPY to sit home now and keep warm and eat my Christmas dinner. More on that later..      


I WON!! I won a drawing for a cookbook from our beloved  blogger BETH MARIE!! I am thrilled, and honored.It sure was a shock and then I also got an early Christmas present of a new tablet and so I am trying to learn all the new things on it. I love it so far and it is so fast and easy. No wonder the clerk said that it was the best seller of 2013..I can imagine all the children in all the grade schools having these to work on..soon the pencils will be gone and the tablets we used to use. Soon kids will ask..what is a pencil?? OH MY!!  That is progress I guess. 

So for the menu for Christmas dinner..we missed Thanksgiving being so sick, so Turkey and Ham and all the side dishes we want this year. I will get back to normal after the new year. I am not making or baking any sweets this year..Jello is as close as it gets for me. I did find some nice sugar cookies in the store so will enjoy them too. 
                                  

I will close this with a photo of the last tree we had in our old home..We kept it up until FEBRUARY..YOU heard that right. It was the last tree mom saw and enjoyed and we just did not have the heart to take it down early. I hope you and your family have a wonderful and MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Friday, November 15, 2013

I'M SICK...

I am sick of just trying to keep going. I am sick of getting behind in everything. What the heck is going on? I look at life so differently now. I hate the way things are and seem stuck..stuck and cannot get out of my own way. I have "adapted" one person said to me. Yes, you could say that and then again.. NO I haven't. The pressure every day to just do one little thing that can help out..well it's not easy. The situation is grim,and trying to find a way out of it.. tiring. Is it any wonder I don't blog any more as this seems to be a daily thing for me. Pick yourself up and move on..easy to say if you are not involved. Easy if you are not attached to the situation. I am surrounded daily with reminders of past things and need to move on and then not able to. Sounds like depression to me. I have a lot of things to work through. I get joy from sun light..watching nature, breathing fresh air, cold or not, and spending time on line searching for new ideas. I got my retirement checks all sorted out, what a hassle that was. Seems powers that be could not figure out some things and kept asking me the same questions over and over. I dreaded hearing the phone ring. I am setting some goals for the winter. One thing at a time..one thing at a time. This too shall pass..

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

DAY SEVENTEEN!!!

I can't believe it's been seventeen days already.. time is passing. Some days slowly and some days I feel very stressed out.. guess you could call it "withdrawal" pains. Keeping in touch with what's "going on" in the blogging world or the Facebook family is very much missed. 

Making it day by day with the lack of connections and the overwhelming heat that is hitting us all this summer. I retreated the library as fast as they opened as did many other people. The heat index today well into 100+ so anyplace that is cool is a good place to be. This past weekend I ventured up north  to attend a birthday party for my niece's 2 year old. Nice to drive up and see the sights again. You never know how large those wind turbines are until you are almost beside them. ONE word..HUGE!
They rise at least 330 feet in the air and the blades are over 200 feet long. There was a huge "farm" of them all over the country-side. 

A boy and his wagon, taking his tractor for a ride. I do remember the days when I got my first wagon. It wasn't as fancy as a Radio Flyer but we did have it most of our entire childhood. A metal Radio Flyer wagon, we found out, is harder to find these days and soon may come obsolete to the more plastic ones. In buying certain models you have to order them, no matter what store you are in. They are only available on line orders. There was a time when a simple wagon like that could be found in any store. Sad sign of the times I guess. Well  until next time I sure hope you all can









Monday, July 8, 2013

LOST WITHOUT ANY CONNECTION!!

If ANYONE ever asks me again.. "Are you addicted to the Internet?" I will gladly tell them YES I AM!! The past 8 days seem like 8 weeks. I have gotten through every day and found myself so bored it isn't funny. I find I read more news on line than I thought I did. I look up more information and challenge myself more than I thought I would. NOT getting to do these things really makes an impact on your whole lifestyle. 
                                         
Lilies finally bloomed late this year..we had so many
but they were much smaller than usual. Talk about
fragrant!

Well I  even though I do get to update my computer maybe once a week..it is not nearly enough. The first day was the hardest. Get into a routine and like breaking any habit it is tricky. I must have picked up my laptop at least 5 times before really realizing, nope you can't use this. Convince yourself that the Internet does NOT exist.. well this worked for several days so far. Counting the days down.. things will get better.. I can only hope.. anyone with any suggestions.. I will take all the help I can get. It really is hard losing touch with those out there in the "internet world". 

Friday, April 26, 2013

MIRACLE CURE???

Lately I have been taking that combination of Cinnamon and honey.
                                               


I thought, why not it cannot hurt me. Looking over the information it seemed that it was a cure for just about every thing that ails a person. Well it didn't hurt and I think my throat really is a lot better because of it. The cinnamon kinda burned a little on the raw places but boy the next day.. SUCCESS!!  I give it big thumbs up!! I will keep it in mind for other the other things. Check out the information on it.. it seems to be a real eye-opener for me. How in the world it would help some things is amazing if it really does. 

Now on to the best cure in the world.. here is something you might not know..
According to ehow.."Vicks Vapo Rub was created by a company originally called the Vick Family Remedies Company. It was part of a line of products. Its success first peaked in 1918 with the onset of the Spanish flu pandemic in the United States. While the company was a family business, it was eventually bought by Procter & Gamble in an effort to round out the company's product line."

Now many other people make their own version of this salve, but I think the original one is more powerful and the best. No one will convince me that it doesn't work because it really does. YES, putting it on the balls of your feet and covering them with socks before bedtime works too. Some think it is only a mind thing, but for me... it worked. I never slept so well.  I thanked the person who invented this stuff again and again this past week. I just don't know where I would be all these years without it. Anyone who opens a jar will be transported back to their childhood.. it's a smell that you just never forget. 

The weather is turning warmer here this weekend.  Surely will help me I hope. I think I will find a spot to sit in the sun and let the warmth of it just soak my soul. It's been quite a while since we saw 75 here in my neck of the woods. Hope your weekend is wonderful!! 



Monday, March 25, 2013

BARN CHARM TUESDAY

This was a neat cow barn filled with hay taken in northern Michigan. You can see below how they keep their calves in tiny little houses all their own. So cute. 
I am wondering if they keep them inside there all winter long. Wish I could have stopped and asked many questions. It was a very nice working farm.
More Barn Charm Tuesday photos here..

Sunday, March 10, 2013

ORANGE YOU GLAD....

Okay..I went into a store and saw this sign and just kinda wigged out. Why oh why could management NOT SEE that terrible mistake? It is large and very obvious.
SO it was describing a new product, and the display was not really big. It didn't take them long to do it. Shows how someone can just do their job and never mind the signs. Well of course, me, I had to tell someone about it. The clerk had no idea what I was talking about. She told me to tell the Asst. manager on duty. I walked around looking for anyone in charge. Well "just forget it" I thought.. never mind after a few minutes of finding no one. I decided to check out and the clerk asked me if I found her. I told her I hadn't but the sign was pretty large. She said she would tell her. Couple of days later.. I came back in and there was the sign still there. I know anyone can make mistakes, but this just irked me.
I decided to find someone this time and let them know.  Sure
enough I did find a manager and took them over to the sign. He laughed in my face and said no one else had noticed it. Well I didn't believe him. I said..
"Well I am sure they did and just figured no one was smart enough to take it down and correct it." Ohhhhh I got a nasty look from him.

AS I WALKED AWAY I SAID
ORANGE YOU GLAD I TOLD YOU ABOUT IT NOW!!!
                                              

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

WATERY WEDNESDAY

I really like adding photos to Watery Wednesday. I guess that's because I love the water. I don't so much love boating on it..just watching it.  I sure do like to stop and watch waves or listen to it. Something about it calls to me somehow.  This week's photo took place in Indiana.  I was down there on a short visit and went for a walk and found this footbridge running over a quaint little creek. {Click for better views)



                
 This tiny creek rises a lot when it rains in the spring season. I love to listen to the water moving slowly over the rocks. It truly was a restful, peaceful and very green place where I could have lingered all day long. Someone asked me if I had one of those waterfall things in my house. I sure don't, I don't think I could listen to it night and day. 



Below is a photo I took of Swans in the winter of 2011, I just could not believe how many there were in that cold river.


  

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

BARN CHARM TUESDAY

This is Barn Charm Tuesday and this week I entered this photo. Does it look to you like the big barn is a house? As I drove by I wondered if someone made their home out of the large barn. Several other smaller ones around it and sheds. Sorry it's a little fuzzy as the sun was shining right at me. I can't imagine the cost of heating a barn that size here in Michigan in the wintertime!! (Click for better views.) 

The second barn this week is a barn I pass on the way out of town. It looks like it is pretty old and ready to be torn down. Doesn't look used anymore but still retains some of it's color. 
                                    
We might be in for some more of the white stuff around here.. not sure if it will hit where we are as bad as Indiana or Ohio though. I wonder how these birds can stay on the ice like that it makes me cold just watching them. They sure started honking as soon as I stopped to take their picture. They have been around all winter this year.

DON"T FORGET TO PUT YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR ON SUNDAY!!



Thursday, February 28, 2013

WATERY WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is a Watery day and so I am posting my entry for this week. I took this last year at Lake Mi. This is the Badger that makes a round trip run from Ludington to Wisconsin once a day during the summers. The sun was shining on the side of it and you can just barely see the people standing on the upper deck as it comes into port. 
Locals use this boat to get back and forth to work and tourists use it for day trips to Wisconsin.  You can see that underneath holds LARGE semi's as well as regular cars .
It was fun watching it come in and it blows it's horn on departing and arriving so the whole town knows when it comes in. 

To enter a photo for Watery Wednesday CLICK HERE.
                                

Monday, February 25, 2013

BARN CHARM TUESDAY

BARN CHARM TUESDAY


While traveling a two lane road to Manistee last year I took this photo of an old run down barn that was on it's way out. I noticed another smaller one in just about  as bad a shape. I loved the shape of the smaller one. The large one had a tin roof. The roof will outlast the building despite the bad winters they have there. 

On the way back home I spotted this one..
It was used as advertising and for their farm. Place was pretty busy. I never stopped but here is the LINK so you can see what they sell. I must check it out if I get back in that area. 

For here.. we are looking at another storm to come through..this time maybe 4-6 inches of new white stuff. Me.. I will wait and see they keep changing the forecast several times a day.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

REMINISCING....


 I came across a
box I had stored all my many journals in recently. I have mentioned here before
that I have kept them since 1976. I found that one book was missing and was
heart broken, it led me into a panic trying to find it. A whole day later 
I remembered that that particular one had vanished in a move from Ca.
to Michigan. Number Two chapter started in 1979!!
In opening the second chapter,
I notice that my handwriting was pretty good. Better than it is now. I type so
much now that my actual handwriting has really suffered a lot.I was taking tests at college and going on interviews and at a loss for what direction to take. Wondering if I should make a move back to Michigan. "Looking for work is harder than working" I wrote, so true even more today.


There really are 28 chapters..28 is not yet finished) probably never will be as
I have taken to putting everything on computer now. The way of the handwritten journal is fading for me at least. I blog and keep track of things that way, and only write in the journals really significant things that happen in my life. 
In one chapter I wrote...

"Little did I know that because I WASN’T working, I would be able to make
a trip to Santa Barbara where SUE lived. Friends from  my hometown came by on
their vacation and offered me a ride there with them. I literally had
minutes to throw a suitcase together and be on my way. I had no idea
what would happen, but I knew it would be an adventure! I always
am up for one of those because you haven’t planned and don’t know
how they will go."
 I spent 12 days in Santa Barbara according to this chapter.
“It was never my intention to stay more than a week. So much had happened
and so much was packed into those days that they really just flew by.”
The memories of those warm summer days and
the sneezing from the kitten that SUE had then, will always be with
me. Cool foggy mornings near the Pacific were so strange compared
to the valley where I had been staying. The larger city and the
whole culture shock of a seaside town was so different than
anything I had ever experienced.

Ours is not to question why things happen the way they do. I was there for a
reason that I just did not know about. If you believe in fate at all,
it sure came to pass in those 12 days. On my way home on the bus I had
plenty of time to think about how my life was going to go on from there.
Job opportunities were there in Santa Barbara, but back then hard to find
something in such a short timespan. Less than a month later I was
winging my way back to Michigan for a visit, and developed Bronchitis
two days after getting there.. a few days later it went to full blown
pneumonia. Why the heck did I leave Ca. so fast kept
running through my mind?  
More later....

Saturday, February 16, 2013

ALL GOOD THINGS....

All good things must eventually come to an end or so they say..our week long visit in St. Croix ends and we return home to cold stateside.  I dread the shovel we might have to use or the heavy coats we have to haul out to wear. Maybe it's time to think about being a snow bird. "SNOWBIRD" meaning..

snowbird is someone from the U.S. NortheastU.S. MidwestPacific Northwest, or Canada who spends a large portion of winter in warmer locales such as CaliforniaArizona,FloridaTexasthe Carolinas, or elsewhere along the Sun Belt region of the southern and southwest United States, Mexico, and areas of the CaribbeanWell we can dream anyway..most cannot afford to have two residences to care for. If I were a snowbird where would I go for winter?? Hmmm any suggestions welcome here.            
                                          
I lived in California for 20 years, and where I was there was little change in season. It was either green and lush or dry and brown. Rain and fog or hot and hotter. No trees changing colors or sight of snowflakes unless you went TO them. You could drive to the ocean,or the mountains in winter. Nice..but pretty expensive to live there. When I returned to Michigan I found that my blood must have thinned a lot because I was freezing and others were laughing at me wearing a sweatshirt in 70 degree weather. Took at least 4 or 5 years to get used to the cold temperatures. My first winter was TERRIBLE. I just could not get warm no matter what I did. Christmas was wonderful...all white and peaceful looking..until I had to snow blow the driveway. Ahhhh I realized why I had moved to warmer territory after all. 
Well I would have to think hard on where I would want to live, is there anywhere that has a happy medium? The climate being what it is and so many  global warming changes, we all may be in a more warm zone sooner than we think. 

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!! 


Sunday, February 10, 2013

WHAT SNOW?? WE ARE HAVING FUN!!!


We ARE in the U.S. Virgin Islands.. there are many
islands that make up the whole.
What Fun!!
Today we are taking a horseback ride on one of the many
tours they have.  Joe has ridden ahead of us, I would
know that hat and shorts anywhere! Wink

Cindy, Beth, Carole and I made plans to shop in the duty free stores
 
and some
went to visit the sugar plantation on St Croix and have dinner
at a place called the Harbormaster Beach Club.
 There is a beach
barbeque floor show that can’t be beat! Island with a palm tree Ohhh the beat of
that steel band was wonderful too.
Word comes from the cold cold country that snow is really
piling up.Wink A smile comes to your face as you sit and watch
the sunset over the beach after a wonderful warm day.Smile

Long day.... tomorrow I hear someone is impatient to
get on the boat and go fishing.. wonder who that could
be?? LOL
What a view.... that can’t be beat.. See you tomorrow....

Friday, February 8, 2013

WHERE THE HECK ARE WE???

We are in a great place, ready for new adventures.
We are definitely on an island.. just look at that
view Ahhhhhhhhh it looks great!! I almost
thought we wouldn’t make it because someone
left their ID and we had to go back for it. ( ThinkingNot saying
who, but the mind has been elsewhere lately..)
Anyway.. boy that heat feels good!! We got a ton of beaches
and neat places to eat and explore. Not a lot of tourists
to deal with so we can have the place to ourselves.
 
I rename this place BLOGGERS  BEACH.. LOL It is NOT
Hawaii, or Florida, or Ca. Can you guess where???
We can take a  break from the tanning process and wave watching and
walk over to that white building. It’s a CASINO!! Let’s try our luck and
see who can win the most with the least amount of money wagered! Smile
Just checked the weather here it is a balmy 74 degrees and wonderful.
Beats the snow reports back home.. I know we will love it!! 
Hey what happened to Sherry??.. I heard she got lucky at the crap table!!.
ACKkk Surprised
who the heck is parasailing over my beach?? Oh.. maybe that is JOE
he said he wanted an adventure.. watch out Joe, the landing can be a
doozy!! Smile
Wonder what is on the agenda for tomorrow…oh well it is better than
home that is for sure…
HAVE FUN!!