FLOODED

 MY STORY...

GRANTED it is not as bad as those who have severe flooding and loss of life and homes. I am truly grateful for that. I send my heartfelt prayers to them. Yesterday morning it all came to a standstill when things started backing up all over the bathroom. It's not as horrible as some things are, it was the entire shower the man upstairs took down into my bathtub and out onto the floor into my bedroom and my closet. My tiny one bedroom apt looks like a disaster zone. I went into survival mode. Mopping and sopping whatever I could. I asked for a wet vac and got one too late. He used it but barely scratched the surface of the problem. The maintenance guy was OVER-RUN when the manager called and said 3 other apartments were having troubles too ..all of us on the same floor.
 

THANK GOD for my drying racks.. they sure have come in handy.

So beyond his capability he called the manager back and she came to inspect, yep we needed PROFESSIONALS.. IN came the ROTO ROOTER guy and he worked non stop for 4 hours and still had problems with drainage so he called in backup. Two guys came to help him who had already worked their shifts under a house laying pipes he said. They stayed until 10PM...it was an all day job. They took very little breaks we could tell and offered them cold drinks. I had so many people coming in and out of my apartment that I just left the door wide open and let them walk in and out. Neighbors upset, wondering if we could use the water at all. NOPE not all day long. Very humid situation even with the darn blower. I removed half my clothes from the closet because today the smell is there. EW. Nobody wants clothes that smell like old water.. it smelled  nice like his shower gel.. nice yesterday, even the water was warm. I was yelling for him to turn it off but he didn't hear me. Who would half way through anyway. WHY today it smells worse I have no idea as I had BRAND NEW carpet. Yes indeed new carpet. I was so crushed.

It looks like I am moving again,something I hate. Chaos!!

 Now before you yell at me, NO I cannot afford renters insurance right now, I have a small income and no room for it. So some of this mess is just my own fault. The price of the insurance or eating, sometimes you gotta do what you have to do. Life is like that sometimes...well it is for me. I will start over, this time getting rid of even MORE stuff I don't need anymore. TUBS are wonderful they are waterproof up to a certain level and this helped soo much. I very highly suggest the nice velvet covered hangers that held my clothes,that got removed from my closet so easily.I also found out that those memory foam bath rugs hold a ton of water and wring out and dry much faster than a towel. I will be looking for others to add to my supplies as it worked better than anything I used on the carpet. Starting over again for the second time in the same place. Maybe I will find some new things that are helpful again.

 ANY and all suggestions about the carpet smell are appreciated, not sure they will clean it or not. Maybe if I insist. I just want my AC in the window soon please.., YES I still have none.. stupid window and their 2 estimates that have to be okay'd by the higher ups. Taking forever and the poor managers hands are tied and she cannot do anything. Sleeping is miserable and hard with my asthma at full blast. I am writing this at 3 AM since there is no rest anyway. Sitting with a fan on me I will get by..one day at a time.

DILEMMA SOLVED...

Around our place a person comes and posts some papers on your door if they need to let you know new rules etc. Well I heard her SLAP the papers on the door so I go out and see what it is all about.

LOW AND BEHOLD.....

The new manager here made a BIG BIG mistake and so the district manager had to let us all know that WE DID NOT have to pay the money for putting in our A/C units. WOW talk about a reversal. A whole lot of tenants were thrilled at this news.Seems you only PAY for help putting it in IF you do not go and get the plexiglass to fill in the windows YOURSELF.{ OKAY, this is not interesting to others I know but it sure was a load off my mind. It's the day to day things that add up and get on your nerves sometimes. I am new to how things work here still and having to learn what goes and what doesn't. }          

I ask about decorating my patio, "Sure do whatever you want out there." Ahhhh well within reason of course. No BBQ stuff and NO umbrella stuff. Can I trust what she says to be true? Will some other person in charge change the rule.. probably. Just

the way it is around here. Some already dug up the rocks around each of their patio and planted flowers in there. That's a lot of rocks!! I dreamed I had a birdbath on my patio the other night..I guess I was dreaming of this one I had in our old yard. I took the flowers out and turned it back into a place where the birds could have some fun. I don't think this place here is a good place to have a birdbath, the hawks might use it to drink out of and capture some snacks of smaller birds...Yikes. That would be a horrible sight. So I will just make do with what I have right now and maybe add some things here and there as the summer goes by. I tried sitting out there the other day and it was SO HOT with no shade I could not stay long.

For those who read this blog and know me, you might remember HELL HOUSE. Well it still stands today abandoned but bought by our local college. Eventually it will be torn down and something will be built on that spot. I am sure the neighbors cannot wait. AS for our old home. Sad to say it looks so bad I just GASP when I saw it recently. Seems those who bought it did some improvements but the outside looks horrible. This paint was applied almost TWO YEARS ago and then just left. They never finished any of it. The porch was full of junk, furniture and the back area by the garage full of garbage and trash. No wonder the neighbors are in an uproar.

She was a grand ole place when we lived there, yes we miss the old days a whole lot when life was good.

Guess I will wrap this up as I am getting too sentimental here. 

                                    

 

 

WONDERING..

I sit here wondering what to do with a current situation I am dealing with. It's summer it seems here in my little apartment. Hot Hot..with the morning sun blazing through the large patio doors.I placed my mother's crystal angels on the door and watched the sun make dancing rainbows all over my living room wall. I love seeing it but boy is it HOT with the sun coming in. So I chose the cool and  closed the blinds and the drapes and shut out the light. Seems one of my windows in the bedroom was broken when I moved in last year and I had no idea that it had LOST the seal. It was a thermal pane window and I didn't know much about those. So this year, new manager it had to be replaced. They measured it and ordered another one but still has not been delivered. My dilemma was that window is the one and only one my air conditioner sits in. So NO air conditioning right now. I admit several times I sat the thing on the window sill let it run to try to cool off at least one room. It sort of worked. You just can't put it in and out. It is a slider window and you have to put a plexiglass panel at the top of it. THERE are RULES here now. I got notice that now the maintenance will put it in for you for $150!! Are you kidding?? That was my first thought. It takes all of 30 minutes if you KNOW what you are doing. The guy here does. So the new management says you can put it in yourself or have someone else do it, but be aware in the fall you will have to TAKE IT OUT. Well, that was like someone dropped an atomic bomb here. People have lived here 15 -20 years and NEVER took them out. So there is a major revolt here in the complex. Twenty four apartments and all the tenants are upset. Would be so much easier if the windows were not sliders. Darn!

Austrian crystal angels and one BEE!

Magic rainbows!

To find someone to put the AC unit in and out each season will take some doing. I will learn how to do it myself..I just need a few lessons I think.
When there is a problem you solve it, that is what I was taught to do. What if you are unable to do it somehow? Wondering what the consequences are if you do not remove it from your window at the end of the season? Guess we all will find out when the new "memo" comes out in the fall.  At least I am on the ground floor, that's a big relief to me, if it falls out it won't have far to go! ;-)

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

FLY AWAY DEAR ONE....

It was sunny out and I sat and watched the clouds drift by in the sky. You came into my mind. Oh how I would
miss you. I will miss your wisdom and humor and advice. I prayed that soon you would not be in pain.
When I started my blogging 10 years ago, you helped me in so many ways. I had no idea what I was doing.
I do know that we all got pretty close and became a sort of "Family" of bloggers. This was BEFORE Facebook, so mostly
we kept in touch daily from our blogs. You were my close friend.... but more like a "Sis" to me. You sent me encouragement
and support when life dealt me so many hard blows. Your phone calls and gifts were so very special. I will cherish them
forever.

This morning you left us here in this place and we grieve for the loss but do know in our hearts..

 "When you come to the edge of all that you know, you must believe one of two things: there will be earth upon which to stand, or you will be given wings to fly."  FLY AWAY DEAR BETH MARIE...


   

  UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN....

PRAYER REQUEST

Please say a prayer for our dear friend Beth Marie..Every prayer will surely be appreciated by her family.

HAPPY EASTER

         HOPING YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL EASTER      
                                        HOLIDAY!

ICY SUNRISE

THANKS to a good friend of mine I am able to take photos again. This camera takes much clearer photos than my old one did. This morning I rose to this spectacular sunrise on ICY SNOW..When you think that this exact same scenario may never happen again.. I decided to capture it. 

When the sun got higher
Daylight Savings time starts Sunday morning.
I am ready for it. Come on SPRING!!!

GOODWILL HUNTING.. REALLY I DID

I went GOODWILL hunting for new things for my apartment. Sometimes people get rid of really good items or even NEW ones. On my budget this place is a real Godsend for many things. I decided my new bathroom was WAY too small so I needed a new look that would make it look bigger. I had a lot of dark towels and such that made it small. I changed my look to more of a beach style, lighter and brighter.  The very next week look what I found.. it started the ball rolling, from there I got shells, new towels and then I found ....several beach items that really helped set the tone.  Great prices and just what I wanted.. how lucky can you get.  It's a work in progress..I keep adding things. Another trip to the GOODWILL again and I might just get it all finished.. I won't stop looking there, you NEVER know what you will find!! ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE!!

                                                   

This was marked down because the back had a small hole in it. $2.99

This was $1.99

Made a nightlight out of this. $1.99

GROUNDHOG SNOW STORM 2015

HE saw his shadow.. yeah right... they already decided before he was pulled from his nice cozy bed. All the snow that is here today is it any wonder we will see another 6 weeks of winter?  The storm lasted 24 hours. Non-stop wind and heavy snow that kept accumulating  at least 18 inches in places without the drifts.  By 2 AM on Groundhog day it had finally let up and the snow plow guys came and cleared off the sidewalks. So glad I don't have to do it all. It was enough to keep up with my own patio spot. 

I recall that back in the fall I saw at least three woolly worms and they indicated that at the back end of winter we would be in for some heavy snow. They were so right! I have been really spoiled this winter so far I guess it was time to bring the cold in.

We expect some more later this week, but not as bad as this storm was. Hope where ever you are you are staying warm and safe this winter. 

SPRING IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER...

2015 ..ORGANIZING ONE THING AT A TIME..

I am starting out 2015 organizing and trying to find SPACE. I never thought moving would be such a jumble. I haven't any idea how I am going to do it all but I guess I have the whole year to figure it out. I started in the kitchen. The garbage disposal went out and had to be replaced so all that stuff under there had to be MOVED out. Better now than if a leak occurs I guess.That all done I moved to the shelves and the drawers next. Progress and some things tossed out helped too. The shelves were a real problem but I managed to use every little space I could. Works for me..{note to self, don't buy any more of anything!! ;-) } 

A wise friend told me, "Whatever you buy and bring into your new place, you better have a place in mind where you will store it." So right she was. I got THREE Christmas trees of all sizes I had to find room for. I didn't buy them all at the same time, and I am still trying to find room for them.Tip: Don't wrap them up and throw them up on a shelf, they will find their way off the shelf in the middle of the night.. BOOM!! HA! Scared the beeeegeeeez out of me!!                                                 

 It got cold out and I looked for winter gear. WHAT?? I could not find any hats, scarves etc. even though I knew I had them. What I did find was only LEFT HANDED gloves,.. all of them. HOW odd. The right ones had just been placed away someplace in that maze of a closet. A disorganized mess. Yes I am still hunting the right ones, and still wondering HOW they got separated. Very ODD. 

MY winter will be full of hunting items and trying to label boxes and tubs..at least it keeps me busy on the many very cold days. My advice...when you think of moving please LABEL the heck out of your boxes..something I should have done better. 

HOPE YOU ALL ARE STAYING WELL AND WARM.. 

THE YEAR ENDS

I sit here and think of all the things that have happened in 2014 and just shake my head in disbelief. 

JANUARY we had the coldest POLAR VORTEX  winter we have ever had. It was brutal. I shoveled so much snow I just got so sick of it. Heavy, wet and cold all winter  long. I seemed to never catch up and never get warm enough. Glad it ended.

I ended up in an ambulance, for the first time in my life in late Jan., headed to the ER with my head so dizzy I could not stand up. I stayed 24 hours in the hospital and they found I had 

"Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo 

Sounds bad but it just is plain VERTIGO. I was remarkably healthy otherwise. I had many comments on how amazing my blood tests were.

FEBRUARY and MARCH  Came in with more health problems for family members and a loss of a child that we all were shocked over. I had my eyes tested and the Dr. told me I had Glaucoma..which later in the year was found to NOT BE TRUE. I was so relieved. 

APRIL  We still were having SNOW here in Michigan.. it just would not STOP Easter came and it was cold one day and warm the next. Mother nature just could not decide. 

MAY  Came in with another illness only this time my sister had kidney problems. They went from bad to worse and in 

JUNE  She landed in the hospital in another town for 10 days and one in ICU nearly dying. Very scary times and she still is using the drugs and has improved a lot, but is not stable yet.

JULY while Sis was ill, I received a call I had been waiting a long time for. A new apartment was available. I spent most of the month moving from one place to another in the heat of the summer.                                   

AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER,NOVEMBER and DECEMBER

I have been busy adjusting to my new place to live and gathering furnishings and celebrating the fall and winter here in a new town. Riding the bus to town, meeting neighbors, learning how to gather supplies and find places for all the stuff I have in such small surroundings. I purchased in December a painting that I thought was something I could look at for a long time. I love the waves and the ocean and always have. It will never be far from me.  So much happened this year with friends and family, I pray every day and night that several will be cured completely and permanently. I hope 2015 brings us all good health and happiness. 

DECEMBER UPDATE

SO December rolled in and NO SNOW, we have green grass and warm temps and it seems more like November weather. I like it one way and not in another. Reminds me of my winters in California. If we had some frosty mornings there it is all we could ask for.  Will it snow by Christmas, who knows. We just wait and see. In my new apartment it is really different because it is warm inside. Luckily, heat is free here so I am enjoying a nice break this year. 
                                                                

 I went on a search in many places for a 4 foot tree with NO LIGHTS. I had no luck.
I am still looking for it. Seems all the ones they have already have lights and cost way more than I want to pay. Whatever happened to simple. Well I bought a smaller one and I guess it will do for this year. I got rid of so many of our old things that I have not much left so am starting a new collection. I can't wait until after Christmas ornament sales. Know I will get some real gems. I went on a search through so many boxes looking for the stockings that my mother knitted back in the 60's. She took to knitting really easy I was told by the neighbor lady who taught her. I sure am glad that I found them.   These two were used just as decorations. 

One was really large, I don't remember why she made it that big but it sure has held up well all these years. The lady who taught mom made all us kids our own stockings and boy did we use them too. 

Starting my baking late this year, not sure what kind of cookies I will be making but I will be making them. Hope the neighbors help me eat them.  ;-)

WELL WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING ...

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.

                                                                    

WINTER COMES EARLY..

Winter came in early November this year. We are grateful it didn't arrive as early as last year. The yard crews came and blew the remaining leaves around while the snowflakes fell. People were moving in and out of apartments here frantic to get done before the next big storm hit.I try to think of where I stored my Thanksgiving things and all my Christmas ornaments I saved.I didn't have as many as I thought I had sooo it's start all over again this year.  I bought a small 2 foot table tree but changed my mind and decided a larger one was needed since my living room space was large. I have made many trips to our local thrift store looking for items for the holidays. I am AMAZED at what people get rid of. I bought two plates to hang on the wall and was surprised that when I looked them up on line they were collectibles and worth way more than what I paid for them even without their certificates.

 

This one is called Silent Night

This one is called I'll be home for Christmas.

I think I have a moonlight sleigh ride theme going on. They look nice on the wall anyway. I will be checking again there soon. 

Thanksgiving is only days away and still not sure just what I will be doing, baking or making for dinner. Diet dictates strict guidelines but maybe just ONE day will be okay. Who knows I might even bake a pie this year too!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Getting in the mood for the holiday here. Halloween was

always a favorite of mine in school. We would have

a whole school party in grade school and have cake

walks and fishing booths and a parade through the whole school.

I think they still do some of those things now too. As things got scary

out there in the real world, schools decided to have parties

like we did in the “olden” days and all the kids now either

have parties at school during hours or after and even

churches have parties here. The parties consist of cars in the

parking lot and each party has goodies in the trunk of their

car. YEP, almost like tailgating. Kids go to each car and pick up

their treats and when they are done maybe have a game or two

indoors or out depending on the weather.

Here in Michigan it is often cold, rainy, or snowing.This year it will be pretty chilly, some parts of the state may even have snow flurries..YES I said it!!

It amazes me at the talent and creativity that people have when carving a pumpkin for Halloween. This particular one just blew my mind. Such a neat design. The most creative I ever got was drilling holes in one and putting lights inside. This year I am still getting settled in my new place but have my fall decoration hung up in a place of honor in my apt. In our old home we had it on the front door of our house. It still looks pretty good despite being packed away for 4 years. I managed to buy some candy in case I get a trick or treaters here, I am not quite sure what our complex does for the holiday, but there are several families and quite a few children here. 

Did I keep some for me?? Uhh YES I did.. candy corn...my favorite, but those PEEPS ghosts and pumpkins are running a close second. However you celebrate, if you do, have a fun,safe holiday! 

REMEMBER WHEN

I smiled the biggest  watching a neighbor teach his daughter how to ride a small two-wheeler. The bike never had training wheels and a small boy neighbor could ride it easily. She could not. So dad got his chance to run around holding the back of the bike and running along beside her. They did all this on the GRASS..no cement or paved street, smart dad. I remember falling on that street. OUCH…oh how I wish I had a video of that moment. There is no feeling in the world like the wind rushing through your hair as you ride as fast as you can and feel like you have wings for the first time. Wife came out and filmed a lot of her riding attempts. She just had to keep peddling. She tried another part of the complex that was flatter. MUCH better results. In less than two hours she was riding like a pro. BIG smile on her face. Neighbors came outside and applauded her efforts. I yelled..”Good JOB..DAD too!” I swear his face lit up like a Christmas tree all twinkly. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon at the end of September 2014. I had to think, I hope she remembers where and when she was when she learned, I remember where and how but not WHEN.  I hope her mom NEVER loses that video. A whole new world is ahead of her. Today she went to school, no doubt, with stories of her success. Can’t wait to see if she still rides well after school.. Stay tuned. 

OH DEAR Blog Readers….the smells from my kitchen this morning brought tears to my eyes. I used my oven to bake my mother’s recipe for BANANA BREAD.. OH how the whole place smells like home and MOM making  it over and over again. She loved it so. She never needed the recipe almost up to the day she left. She made it so many times it was in her memory bank.  ALWAYS the end piece with lots of butter on it, that was her favorite. HOT HOT out of the oven would make her just ooooh and ahhhh.  Making it this time for my sister’s birthday. I omitted the pineapple this time and made it plain. Can you smell it??? YUMMM!! Haven’t had this in ages. Last time I made bread it was in the microwave for lack of an oven. Well it was edible, but just not the same. It cracked on top just like MOM made it. So happy it came out good. Recipe link is above.

Got to say the fall here in Michigan this past week has been spectacular. The leaves changing very quick but the temps have been mild and cool at night. NO rain, just nice..it does feel like October instead of September though. I fear the winter will be early this year again. Still looking for the wooly worm and his prediction but the black squirrels here are  busy storing nuts from the nearby trees like crazy. That alone is scary. I shudder thinking about last winter, but at least know this year there will be way way less shoveling for me here in my new place. 

APARTMENT LIFE

Nothing like moving into a new place to live and having to learn a whole new way to do things. I sure don't mind, but I just never know when I am breaking a rule or two..

... DON'T FLUSH at night! Around my building I have NEVER heard a person flush a toilet at night. IS that weird?? Granted I have only been here a short while, but so far the rule has stuck. Everyone has their own schedules and lives to lead, but common courtesy is NOT to flush in the middle of the night. I have heard showers run in the middle of the night but NO FLUSHING...just plain strange.

...ALWAYS ASK before you make changes in your apartment walls. Some places, I have been told, do not allow nails or any type of puncturing of their wall surfaces. I got lucky.. it was pretty lax here but I haven't pushed my luck just yet. Starting over I don't have a whole lot to add to the walls. I made a trip to the local GOODWILL store and bought some small snack plates I thought were charming. Very appropriate for the season. I thought how neat to look at them all the time. So I hung them up. Tiny nails and plate hangers. Guess that didn't break any rules. As you can see the walls are WHITE and boring and I have no earthly idea how I am going to decorate them so far. I guess I will know when the time comes though. (The plates, by the way, were collectibles and ended up being worth at least 10 times what I paid for them. I was very happy when I looked them up on EBay. I love a bargain!)

Sure miss all the stuff Mom had at our house that I could not keep. We decorated for every holiday. It's fun though finding all the things that make a place your own. Looking forward to the holidays and already got my turkey.. well not edible anyway. This bird was handmade by a local artisan in 1979. I will be using it as a centerpiece this year on my table. 

Next will be finding new things for Christmas, stores already have their decorations up, should be easy to do. Apartment life is a work in progress right now. Never know what you will do or find next. I also hung this up on my wall so I could see it every day..it says what I think about where I am right now. It's something I do every day.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A HAPPY WEEK!!

LIFESAVERS

Crazy week so far, busy and strange...

Every single thing here I have used this past week. They truly are

lifesavers. All this moving has made the old body pop and snap and so

I am using any and everything I can to get by.  I bought a new grocery cart that 

surely will come in handy this winter getting groceries inside my place. The less

trips the better I say.. NO lifting either. Wonderful idea! 

Kept hearing banging and thought someone was fixing a roof to the building.

When I went outside I saw that the balcony on the other side was being torn down.

TERMITES! Oh that made me feel creepy. I mean what about the rest of the building?

Needless to say, they are inspecting the whole building. Erected back in the early 70's

these places need updating anyway. Having a balcony patio that gives way is very scary indeed. As I stood and watched them working a neighbor came and introduced herself to me. She said that I was the LUCKY ONE.. I guess they nicknamed me

that. I was the one with an almost NEW apt. All new carpets, floors, bathroom etc. It

wasn't because of me.. it was because the older lady lived here sooo long. She was here for 24 years!!! She said that EVERYONE wanted the apartment that I was in. Well, I guess I am lucky then, because I got it instead of someone else being re-located.

LUCKY ME.. This is the one and only plant I have in my apartment so far, it has traveled FAR..for many years to get to this place. The only plant left that my mother had. I placed it in the East windows and it seems happy there. The hula girl was a present, she shakes when the sun hits her.. very entertaining!!

HEARTBROKEN

MY prayers to his family who must be heartbroken over his death. The world mourns the loss of his great heart and loving gentleness. We will laugh for years to come with a sense of sadness. Rest in the Peace you find out there among the stars in heaven. WE WILL MISS YOU

EVEN ANIMALS LOVED HIM.......

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.

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!!!