I'm borrowing this from Elisabeth...Friday's Feast on Sunday

Appetizer
How are you today?

I am feeling much less stressed about a lot of things. However I am feeling full of grief as of late, over the loss of my mother 1 1/2 years ago. I can't figure out why I have been missing her so much these days. Hmmm. I'll have to think on this and let you know. Actually...I have an idea. I'll share someday soon.

Soup
Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.

I absolutely adore Boston Legal. I love the characters that James Spader and William Shatner play. I have always loved Candice Bergen. And for me, the jury is still out on John Larroquet.
I miss West Wing. That has always been my all time favorite. Now, I program my DVR to record Brother's and Sister's, Oprah and of course, Boston Legal.


Salad
What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?

I am not bothered by weather. I love storms. I love the sound and the smells. I don't think I've ever been scared in a weather situation.

Main Course
If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?

I think Africa. It's next on my travel agenda.

Dessert
What do you usually wear to sleep?

Well, I've been experiencing hot flashes as of late, so I wear next to nothing. Perhaps just a t-shirt.

I know it's been a while

I know it's been a while since I've written. There really isn't much going on. No, I have not sold, nor have I rented out the other house. I have been working quite a bit, which is nice since I'm earning enough money to pay the bills. I've been eating healthy and walking a lot which is paying off, since all my fall clothes from last year are fitting me better then they did previously and folks are asking me if I'm losing weight and telling me I look great. I love that!

I've had no sewer trouble since I had the pipes replaced and everything seems to be going smoothly.

Last weekend I went up north with my best friend and her 3 little ones. We had a great time. They have a very lovely "cottage" although I would call it a gorgeous house. In fact, if it were in my neighborhood, I would love to live in it. It reminds me of my Lansing house. The bathrooms are great and I love the kitchen. It has a wrap around porch, which is sublime.  Anyway...we had a great time. My friend and I stayed up late both nights talking and catching up. She used to be my next door neighbor when I lived in Lansing. She and her family moved to a bigger house about 3 years ago just prior to the birth of her twins. When we lived next door, we would often visit each other late in the evenings. We'd get our pj's on and walk to the others house and stay up late drinking wine and talking. I miss those days.

Update

Since I haven't written in a while, I thought I should and provide you with an update as to what's been going on in my life the past few weeks.

As most of you know, I've been trying to sell the house I just recently moved out of. It's been on the market for well over a year and still has not sold. I finally decided to hire a new Realtor who advised me to also try to rent it. So, that's what I'm doing. I'm trying to sell and rent my house. Whichever happens first, I will be relieved. I hired a property management company, the one that my new Realtor recommended. I feel comfortable with both the Realtor and the owner of the management company. I've also told my neighbors, well the ones I was friendly with anyway. They understand and of course hope, if I have to rent it, that I have "good renters". And, so do I.

Last Sunday was the unveiling ceremony of my mother's headstone. It was a very sad day for me. I had not been wanting to have this ceremony take place because I realized I was denying that my mother was dead. I imagined that as long as there was no headstone, or that as long as I didn't see the headstone, then she must not be dead. We could not put the ceremony off any longer. And of course when I saw the headstone I knew I couldn't deny my mother's death any longer.

My older brother and his family came into town and were staying with me for the weekend. They usually stay with me when they come to town. And just as it happened during the week of sitting Shiva when my mom died last summer, the sewer backed up in my basement this past weekend. My brother was in the downstairs bathroom having just used it when my nephew came running up the stairs yelling to me that his dad wanted me and that I should come right away. I could hear my brother yelling to me to bring towels. Lots of towels. So I did. I brought all the towels I could find...which meant my good ones as well as the not so good ones and we used almost all of them to sop up the not so clean water.

You might recall that I have just recently had my basement nicely finished and fully carpeted. Needless to say, as I was last year when this happened, I was incredibly distraught again this year. Especially since I had had the drain snaked out in April as the plumbers had previously advised. So, here they come again to clean the drain, yet another time. And, I decided to have a clean out put in in the front.  (Elisabeth, in case you haven't decided to buy a house yet, don't let this be a deterrent for you. I still am glad I own this house and have a beautifully finished basement...sewer problems and all!) Well, those plumbers came over to my house yet again, yesterday and put a camera down my sewer drain at which time we saw (yes I was looking too!) that the pipe leading to the main sewer had a large crack running down it, and we also saw lots and lots of tree roots. So, I decided to have these lovely plumbers replace the pipe. Which they did. It took them all day yesterday and they left me with a very large pile of dirt that runs the length of my front yard and is about 3 feet wide and 2 feet high. I have to let it sit over the winter so it will settle. So, for the next 8 months or so I will be looking at dirt. What a lovely view from my front window.

Now that I've spent just over $2000.00 dollars to have the pipes replaced, I'm feeling a tad stretched financially. Paying 2 mortgages really puts a crimp in my spending habits. So, I've put off replacing all those lovely towels that I had to throw away since they sopped up sewer water. Luckily, I have a cousin who works for a fire and water restoration company. He came over on Sunday and cleaned up all the mess for me, and checked to make sure that the walls and carpet didn't get wet. Whew! was I lucky. The pad under the carpet by the bathroom and laundry room did get wet, but sopped up the water enough so that the carpet didn't get wet. Now I just have to have someone come out to replace the pad, relay the carpet in those areas and get the carpet cleaned in those same areas. That I can live with! I can't imagine how I'd feel if I had to replace all of the carpet, or if I had to have the walls ripped out because they had gotten wet, which meant, contaminated by the sewage.

I am so lucky! Poor, but lucky!

---I'm going to stop here, even though there's more to write. I want to get back into blogging again. I think I'm ready and if I tell all now, there'll be nothing left to entice me back tomorrow.

Yep, I'm still here.

Well hello,
I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been busy with other things. Like unpacking, organizing, working, working, and working. Oh, and did I mention I've been working?

To update you, no my other house has not sold yet. Its not even on the market at the moment. My Realtor dropped the ball by telling me she would still keep my house listed on the MLS until we had a chance to sign a new contract...which is how we've done things in the past. Needless to say, I have been interviewing new Realtors and hope to sign with someone within the next 2 weeks. At this point I am feeling okay about the fact that the house has not sold. But I know I will be feeling somewhat anxious very soon if I don't get it on the market again, or at least find someone to rent it. Which is actually what I am thinking very seriously about doing. We shall see.

Let's see, what else? Oh, my mother's birthday was this past Saturday. She would have been 67 this year. I miss her a lot. I still can't believe she's gone. We are having the unveiling ceremony for her headstone next week. I am not looking forward to that...more grief will surface and grieving is quite painful.

Work is good. Or at least, getting better. My clientèle is growing. I'm slowly building up my practice which is a relief. That means I'm working a lot more. I'm also involved with 2 organizations which require a bit of time. And, I'll be teaching 2 classes this fall. So, I'm preparing for that as well.

Anyway, that's all for now. I still don't have the umph to write a lot, but I suppose I'll be back soon.

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Frustration abounds!

Here's my list of frustrations:

1. I can't seem to sell my other house. Don't ask me why. I still think its a great house. But, it hasn't sold and its been on the market for over a year. It's not overpriced, well, I suppose it is because no one is buying it. But I can't really give it away now can I?

2. I still have a bunch of boxes to unpack in my new house and I need to throw things away but deciding on what to toss is overwhelming to me for some reason.

3. I have no motivation to prepare for a class I am supposed to teach beginning in September. Uh Oh! I need to start preparing like now!

4. I have a ton of papers to file since I've moved and I have no motivation to file them, let alone organize my home office.

...my sister and brother-in-law bought me a magnet on one of their trips. It says...

"Bitch Sue Bitch
See Sue Bitch"

Sometimes I need to Bitch!!!

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So really, what's on my mind?!?

Here's what I want to know:

Do you

1. make your bed everyday?
2. put the toothpaste tube away after you brush your teeth?
3. brush your teeth before you eat breakfast, or after?
4. set the toilet paper roll on the holder with the paper going over the roll, or under?
5. read all your e-mail?


Not very much exciting stuff going on in my life these days. Same stuff, different day.
What's new with you?

It's FRIDAY!

Okay, so I'm reading blogs, but I'm not writing anything in mine.
So, here's today's thoughts...I went to Ikea today with my sister, her husband and their son. That is one huge store. They have everything. And I mean everything. Its like this big warehouse of stuff. Some of it is junk, but a lot of it is nice and nicely priced. We got there about an hour before they closed, so we only got through 1/100th of the store. I told my sister that I have to go back. I want to really look around when I've got more time and money, and after I've unpacked all my stuff so I can see what I might need for the "new" house.

Speaking of houses, I spoke with my realtor today and she told me that there was a showing last week, which she neglected to tell me about prior to this. I was a little disappointed that I didn't know about the showing, but glad there was one none the less. Unfortunately, there's been no feedback, nor requests for a second showing. Poop!

When will it end????? When will this real estate slump end?

Anyone have any ideas on that? Anyone been to Ikea?

Where oh where have I been?

I have been here. In my new digs. Still unpacking. Trying to get settled. Working and trying to figure out what to do with all this extra time I have now that I'm not traveling back and forth between houses that are 90 miles apart. Whew! I did not realize just how much time it took to do that. It isn't just the drive. That's a breeze. It's all the mental preparation that goes into the traveling that takes up all my time and energy. Now, I'm in one place and I'm adjusting.

I'll be back soon...after I've adjusted.

Adjustment Reaction with Mixed Emotional Features

That's my diagnosis these days. I am feeling a wide variety of emotions due to the major changes in my life that I am attempting to adjust to.


I have now been living full time in my house since Monday. (I moved in on the 29th of June, but left almost immediately to go on vacation to Cape May and returned this past Monday. So, I can't count the days between the 5th and the 9th.) I am still not settled. Aside from all the boxes that I still need to unpack, my rhythm is all discombobulated. I am used to traveling back and forth between houses. Half a week here, half a week there and I can't quite seem to feel grounded. I don't remember what it's like to have one toothbrush and one makeup bag. And, to not have to think about what work clothes to pack and hopefully not forget to bring back to the other house.

My emotional state has been quite up and down lately. What with the move, vacation, boxes all over, cat being ill, paying 2 mortgages, believing that my "old" house was sold, being disappointed that it's not sold, not being able to fully utilize my kitchen for cooking because there are too many boxes, can's and pots and pans all over the place with no place to put everything, I've been feeling quite a lot. I've been feeling distressed, sad, angry, happy, joyful, frustrated, disappointed, disgruntled, depressed, envious, worried, fearful, frightened, excited, and the list goes on and on and on.

Another area of tension for me is the traffic load here in metro Detroit as compared to Mid-Michigan. There is a lot more traffic here which means that there are a lot more people driving like tools then in mid-Michigan. And, I tend to take bad driving personal. I work really hard to not react when some asshole cuts me off, but sometimes I say aggressive things out loud. Thankfully, the windows are shut most of the time. I also have to try really hard to not honk my horn, flick my brights on and off or whatever because as my sister points out, that person I just flipped off might have a gun and have less control over their impulses then I do.

On a good note, there are quite a lot more good grocery stores and oodles more good restaurants. I haven't begun to explore the restaurant scene, but rest assured that I will.

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Surprise!

I have a new template for my blog. Do you like it?

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Did I say "It's a Done Deal?!?!?!?"

Oh my GAWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There will be no, I repeat NO house closing on Monday. The inspection was yesterday and I truly thought everything would be okay. Well, it was not. There were 2 things the inspector found that blew me away. Almost literally.
Plus, my Realtor initially did not know why the people had backed out of the deal. Not until later that is. But, in the meantime, having heard the news that they had backed out, I flipped out.

So, here's what was found. The first is minor. Something that needs addressing, but minor none the less. There is evidence of carpenter ants in the ceiling above my sun room. I was not aware of this, but now that I think about it, I had noticed some dust in the corners of the floor. Not regular dust, but bigger dust. so, this makes sense, and I've already called someone to get out there to take care of it. There. Done.


The second thing is very minor...to me. But very major to the "buyers" (she snears.) The inspector found some evidence of water damage. Now, let me explain that my house sits below the soil grade. You have to take a step down to get into it. And, the inspector saw some old water damage that he indicated was not recent, but was concerned about because there could be some structural damage. But what gets me is that no one bothered to check with me about this. And, because I had had the leak fixed almost 15 years ago, I had completely forgot about it and therefore did not put it on the disclosure statement. My bad. So, here's what happened with the leak...prior to my having an office in my house I had to convert one of the bedrooms to my office. That meant I had to have a window removed so a door could be put in. The guys I hired to do the work did a shitty job and as soon as I realized there was a problem, noted because water would come into the house at the doorway when it rained, I had it repaired. And, to take extra precautions to prevent it from happening again, I had a drain system put in. No problems since. Had the "buyers" asked I would have been able to clarify the issue. I am dumbfounded that they would not have asked especially since the inspector said the damage was not recent, but perhaps even before my moving into the house. But, it was during my stay and not for long and is fixed.

I am recovered from my flip out, but am still feeling very incredulous about the whole thing.

My Realtor did put in a call to the "buyers" Realtor to tell him what I did about the problem, but we still don't know for sure if that was the water damage the inspector found, or if there was some other source of damage. And, I have not heard if they are reconsidering or not. I do not have my hopes up.

Oy Vey.

It's a done deal!

Well, assuming the inspection goes well, I've sold my house. It's a done deal. Those folks who looked at my place 5 times finally decided to make me an offer. But, it was one I could refuse. They came in really low. I mean, really, really low. I countered just a few thousand under my asking price and told my realtor to let them know I was firm. They accepted. So, if the inspection goes well, closing will be on Monday. They want to move in quickly. So...yea for me!

Plus, I'm all moved. except for some garden plants and my wall speakers. Which I reserved to keep.

Last Thursday I went to visit my friends who have a house at Cape May Point. My realtor called me on Thursday to let me know they accepted my offer. I returned yesterday knowing that the inspection is scheduled for tomorrow. Yippee!!!

What a relief. Now I just have to unpack and get settled in my new house.

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Brief report on the goings on around here.

Well hello everyone,
Tomorrow is the big furniture moving day. Well, my books too as well as the garage stuff, patio furniture and other miscellaneous stuff. I am feeling better about the move now. Especially since a friend of mine came over to the new house last night and together we spent a total of 8 hours (4 per person) getting the kitchen almost all set. Whew! What a job that was.

In the process I was able to put some things away in the closets. The man who finished the basement for me was finally able to put the shelves up in the closets as well as create a closet system for me in my walk-in closet in the basement. As a result, I was able to move some things around and clear out some of the stuff that was all over the house. Things look much better now and as a consequence, I feel much better.

An issue that came up for me, completely unrelated to the move, is my youngest and littlest cat had diarrhea all over the new house while I was back in the old house for 5 days. There were spots of it all over the carpet I had just had cleaned, as well as on the new carpet in the basement. Plus, I saw spots that looked like urine with some blood in it. Add to this, the previous week she had swallowed some dental floss, which I did not know was dental floss until I took the specimen to the vet who identified as such, and not a tape worm. Which is what I thought it was. Needless to say, I've had quite the time with this cat recently including spending hundreds of dollars on vet bills. Hopefully, all is well now. She had no ill effects of the dental floss, and we're checking the urine to see if there's an infection and I surmised that the diarrhea is due to stress as well as not eating the food she normally eats, which is for her severe food allergies. Oy vey!

One more report....those folks who came to look at my house 3 and then 4 times are coming again today for the 5th time. What is up with that? I can only assume they like it, otherwise why look at it 5 times. Now they just need to make me an offer I can't refuse! Otherwise, I'll have to charge them a gawkers fee!

Waste not, want not.

Okay, just one more post before disconnecting my computer. I was cleaning out the freezer and fridge last night in preparation for moving the left-over food to the new house tonight and I ended up throwing away at least $100.00 worth of food that I had let go bad. Add to that, I cleaned out the pantry and packed up all the canned goods, pasta and other items that don't need refrigeration and there too I ended up throwing away at least $25.00 worth of food. What a waste. I've decided that I have to learn to shop more efficiently and to actually use the foods I've purchased. Otherwise I will become a wasteful person.

The idea of being a wasteful person does not sit well with me. I also like to think of myself as a person who is environment friendly. You know, I recycle.

It's sooooooo funny to me when I think of just how much stuff I waste. And, what I consider important. Like, for instance, I only use Charmin toilet paper. Charmin is not earth friendly, but I prefer its texture over the earth friendly tp texture. This, amongst many other infractions, makes me not so environmentally conscious.

Just so you know, I have replaced all of my light-bulbs with the energy-saving light bulbs. So, this makes me feel good. But, when I ended up throwing away all that food turned bad I felt like I was a hypocrite. I really have got to get more serious about this aspect of me - caring for the earth aspect.

What do you do for the environment?

See you on the flip side

I am moving in 3 days. Actually, my furniture is moving in 3 days. I am moving today. All of my stuff, sans furniture, is at the new house. So the computer gets shutdown today. And will not be re-connected until probably late Saturday night or Sunday. I may be able to post prior to that if I find a working internet connection someplace.

Wish me luck....... and pray that my lovely furniture doesn't get scratched or marred by the big, burly moving men.

(I hope they're good looking!)

6 days left.......

Okay, there are 6 days left and I'm here in my old house with almost everything boxed up. Actually, most of my stuff is at the other house. I've had over a year to move my stuff and I have. Almost everything except my furniture. And my feelings.

I am very attached to this old house of mine. I've been here since 1992. This is the first house I ever bought. I bought it when I was not yet 30. About 4 years ago, before I knew I was going to move, I put an addition on it. I built a second story-master suite with a beautiful bedroom, bath and walk-in closet. You might remember some of the pictures from a previous post. (Sorry, no link today.) I've lost 2 of my beloved pets while living in this house. In addition, I obtained a post-graduate certificate in psychoanalysis and I've completed an analysis of my own. One in which I've learned quite a bit about myself. Where you could say, as my sister did earlier today, I found myself, all while living in this house.

The decision to move was based on numerous factors.
1. My mother's health was declining and I wanted to be closer to where she lived.
2. I wanted to be closer to where my sister and her family lived to allow me to
develop close relations with her children.
3. I can make more money in the city to which I am moving.

So, one and a half years ago I bought a little house thinking that I would be able to sell the old house rather quickly. Because I was not, and mostly because my mom died unexpectedly last May, I have been grieving all sorts of things. There is another issue at play here. I desperately wish to have a child and have not been able to. I am 45 and my biological clock is ticking rather loudly. I'm not sure if having a child will be possible for me. I've got some medical issues that might make it impossible. This makes me very very sad.

Once I know if I am unable to have a child, I will have to let go of the fantasies of raising a child. I am going to miss this house. I am missing my mom. I am going to miss the fantasies of being a mom.

10 days, but really only 4.

The countdown says I have 10 days until I move, which sounds like a lot of time to finish packing. But I really have only 4 days since I leave today to go back to the new/other house so I can work and earn some money. I return to the old house on Saturday night which then leaves me Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and 1/2 of Wednesday to pack because I head back to the other house on Wednesday night and don't return again until late Friday night and the movers come on Saturday morning bright and early. So...that's why I have been scarce--trying to get everything packed and trying to move what I can. I'm also trying to stay calm because there's no use in fretting.



I'll be back--so don't forget about me.

Home selling.

Whoa!!! Someone is coming to look at my house tomorrow for the third time. Yes, you read that right...the 3rd time. Plus, she wanted information about the utilities...like how much I paid for the past year. I hurriedly whipped up a report using my quicken telling how much I spent on water, gas, electric and sewer for the past 2 years. That should make her happy.



Keep your fingers crossed. I am ready to sever my connections to mid-Michigan and selling my house would surely be nice.

Only 18 days left!

Notice the countdown on the right? Well, that's what I've been up to these days. Packing and moving my boxes. I have been so busy trying to be organized about all of this. So far, I'm doing okay keeping up with it all. Just okay, but Okay none the less.



So, if you don't hear from me in a while,  you know why.

My Stuff

So, remember how I was bitching about feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff I have to do to get ready to move and all the stuff I had to get rid of cuz I didn't want to take it with me, including 3 windsurfing boards and a bunch of equipment to go with? Well, I sold all the windsurfing equipment including the boards for a cheap price, but its all gone. And, I sold my office furniture for a very reasonable price. Now, I just keep packing and packing and packing. Oh, I have to get the other house ready to move the furniture into, which means I have to move all the boxes that I've been moving over there for the past year, unpack them all and put the stuff away, otherwise, my furniture won't fit. And, I have 26 days to do it in. Minus this weekend, since my sister and I are going to visit our older brother in Illinois. Whew!

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