Take your coat off

 Or not.

This blog will probably not resonate to those of you living in warmer climates but . . . stay tuned anyway.

So here in Michigan Old Man Winter is making his presence known.  He gave us a break this year by holding off for a bit.  Petey actually got 3 or 4 rounds of golf in during December.

Unprecedented. 

The coat thing:  When it's cold and you're all bundled up - gloves, hats, mittens, boots and that big ole puffy jacket - no one can see what you're wearing underneath.

So what if it's the same sweatshirt/shirt/jammies (?) you had on yesterday.  Who will be the wiser?

With Covid it's not like you're going to go into a restaurant, sit down and take your jacket off.  

Same with your hair.  Don't even have to brush it before going out because you'll be wearing something on your head unless you're a complete nut case. Just don't take it off in public cuz - BAD HAIR. 

What brought this to mind was the walk Petey and I took just now.  I only wanted to do two miles but I found myself heating up rather quickly which made me wonder what I was wearing under my coat.

I couldn't remember!  Really???  It wasn't that long ago that I got dressed.

Then I thought - oh, yeah, a long sleeved T (I even remembered it was the cream colored one, not the white one) underneath my denim shirt.  Very comfy.

Imagine my surprise when we got home and I peeled off my bulky garment.

Not even close!  A completely different get-up.   

Anyone else having the same experiences?  No?
Liars!!!

I  

Life

My sister, Lisa, posted a piece on FB the other day that really resonated with me.

It was written by Dutch philosopher, Baruch de Spinoza.

It touched base for me in many ways except one.  I'm not religious so because I thought so much of it and loved what it had to say I decided to reword it for sharing from me.

Life

Go out into the world and enjoy your life. 

Sing, have fun and enjoy everything.

Find love in the mountains, in the woods, rivers, lakes and beaches.

Find comfort in a sunrise, in a landscape, in the look of your

friends and in your son's or daughter’s eyes.

You are filled with passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings,

needs, inconsistencies and free will.

Respect your peers and don’t give what you don’t want for yourself. 

Pay attention in your life - alertness is your guide.

This life is not a test, not a step on the way, not a rehearsal,

not a prelude to paradise.  This life is the only thing here and

now - and it is all you need.

You are absolutely free to create in your life.

Live as if there is nothing beyond this life, as if this is your only

chance to enjoy, to love, to exist.

When your life is over - did you like it? Did you have fun? 

What did you enjoy the most?  What did you learn?

Believe in yourself.  Feel joy when you kiss your beloved,

when you tuck in your child, when you caress your pet and

when you bathe in the sea.

Take care of yourself, your health, your relationships and the world. 

Express your joy!

The only thing for sure is that you are here, that you are  alive

and that this world is full of wonders.

If this feels right - if this suits you, hang onto it.

Seatbelts

 I'm almost 72 years old and I can easily remember when they started making cars with seatbelts.

Many of us didn't wear them, did we.  We didn't like them . . . so we didn't wear them.

Our kids sat (sometimes stood) in the back seat unrestrained.  We didn't give it a thought.

Then the car manufacturers put in those dang bells and whistles to remind us to buckle up.  

We hated those even more.  A lot of us connected the buckles but behind our backs (or figured out a way to stop the "dinging")  because we didn't want the belts to wrinkle our clothes.  

And then?  They made a law!!!  The nerve!!!

What was behind all this stuff?  

Our safety.

Really?  The laws were put in place to protect us and our children?

hmmmm

Fast forward to "distracted driving."  

I love my cell phone.  Can't picture life without it.  It's too late to go backwards, they're here to stay.  Until, I guess, we get something implanted in our skulls that will replace them.  Yikes!

But we've all been behind someone texting/talking on their phone, haven't we.  We want to pick up our phones and call the cops, don't we.

Now there's a law - in most states. No texting while driving, etc.

Yup.  Another law to protect us and others on the road.

See where I'm going with this?

Do I want a law requiring everyone to wear a mask?  Should it be a state or federal law?  Do I really want that to happen?

If it does, I'm ok with it but I'd prefer if people would just go about their lives thinking unselfishly of others and their health and safety.

We see by the numbers that that hasn't happened so . . . . a new law?

If you're an anti-masker, don't bother replying.  My blood pressure can't take it.

A very different turkey day

 The bird is thawing in the fridge.

My killer cranberry relish is all set to go.

Crane's apple pie will hit the oven tomorrow morning.

All of that plus a few other items will be for just the two of us.

I remember back to our first Thanksgiving as a married couple.

We were living in a tiny apartment in Bethlehem, PA and would be celebrating the first big holiday with Peter's family.

Except they were all sick with the flu!!!  The least sick of them all, my sainted mother-in-law, made a quick meal of spaghetti and meat balls.  I was distraught but did a decent job of hiding my feelings.

We've had some great turkey days since then.  Most with family and several with very good friends.

This year?  Weird, eh?

I felt myself getting a bit judgey predicting how many people would be going against advice by dining with people who do not live in their homes - for safety. I even thought it would be interesting to drive around town tomorrow afternoon and see how many driveways were crowded with cars.

Then I took a step back and wondered if it would be different if we had family living close by.  Petey and I discussed it with brutal honesty.  

What if just one sister lived 12 miles away?

If my cousin up in Newaygo was there instead of at her winter home in Texas?

What would we do?
I really don't know.

So, as I reflect on family and friends and how much I miss them, we'll be Zooming our backsides off tomorrow and plan to just get through this holiday and gear up for the next one which will probably look the same.

Petey and I send out our best wishes to all who read this blog and remember - turkey makes you sleepy and gives you gas.

Just sayin'

Drill at The Red House

First and foremost - I used an electric hand drill yesterday!!! Maybe for many of you that's not a big deal but me?  Never touched one before.

The above leaded glass piece was commissioned by my mother-in-law, Stephanie Altamore, many years ago.  She had visited us in Allegan and we took her to Holland to see the tulips.  She was so impressed with the beauty and when she decided to have something made for our home, it was an easy leap to tulips.

Who knew all these years later it would be hanging in our new home in Holland.

It's hanging because while Petey was out playing golf with Randy yesterday I decided to tackle the installation.  

Removing the blind was a chore and I'll freely admit to spewing some colorful language.  With some deep breathing (thank you, Buddha) and a few well-deserved breaks, I got that stubborn thing out so I could get to work with the drill.

That went much smoother than I was anticipating and with more elbow grease the piece was hanging correctly and the blind went back up - not easily, though.

Petey was very happy.

 

A Make-over

 I'm bored so I started noodling around with the background for my blog.

Theme.  Hmmmm, didn't even know it was there.

I like it.  Fits me.

Then I took a look at the font.  I didn't want to make it unreadable.  I don't like it when people do that - particularly with signs.  

How am I supposed to read that while I'm flying by at 70mph?

So I stuck with this one.  I think it's called "Courier." 

Been thinking a lot about my son, Michael, lately.  If it wasn't for Zoom, I don't know what we'd do.

He lives and works in Thailand and gets home every year or so but not this year.  Just another issue caused by Covid19.

This was last Thanksgiving at the Dutkiewicz's; our "pretend" family.  Another thing not happening this year.  I'll miss those nutballs.

"Do you and Pete go south?"  That's a question we hear a lot here at Hidden Creek.

Are we going?  Don't know.  Don't think so.  I hope we don't kill each other long about mid-February.

I miss live music - especially when it comes from my gal, EG Kight.

I miss my mom.

Getting misty-eyed.  Better end on a high note.  I love The Red House.

And I love this guy.

Moment of Truth

 Someone has been lying to herself.

Someone was convinced (until recently) about what she looked like physically.

Someone (who should have known better) thought it was a good idea to buy a full length mirror for the primary (we don't say "master" anymore) bedroom.

Ok, so ya got me.  That someone is me.

We had a mirror in our Allegan house bedroom many years ago.  We can't remember what happened to it except there was breakage involved.

So now we have one.  And two rather large mirrors over each sink in our "primary" bathroom.  

The lights over those mirrors are bright, too.  I had thoughts of getting smaller wattage bulbs in there but then I wouldn't be able to see well enough to put the eye drops in my dry eyes twice a day.

It's amazing what you can ignore while looking in those darned mirrors until you let your guard down and actually scream just a tiny bit when you catch a glimpse of . . . . your triceps.

I could have named a few other body parts but I'm trying to keep this from getting unseemly.

I work out.  At least 6 times a week.  I sweat - a lot.  I use weights.  Ok, they're only 3 lb weights but I had a conference with my joints about upping the poundage and the result was a resounding NO!

So there I was checking out those triceps in the bathroom mirror yesterday and was like WTH happened there???

I'll still continue to work out but have resolved myself to accepting the fact that I'm in my 70s now and nothing is going to perk up my triceps . . . and other body parts that will go unmentioned.

I'm also swearing off that full length mirror unless fully clothed.  I do like being able to see, not only my upper body, but also checking out my coolio socks and how great they look with my smashing ankle boots.

Notice how I refrained from taking this subject to parts unknown and not recommended?  It was a strain because I've been binge watching "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and I envisioned myself up on a stage, standing behind a mic, and talking about aging and what happens to women as they do.

I think I'd be hysterical.

Morning rituals

 Do you have one or twelve?

What happens if someone interrupts you half way through?

Do you just do a mind check and carry on or does it all go to hell quickly?

Most mornings I'm up before Petey.  Not by hours but maybe 20 minutes or so.

Bathroom, remove retainer, eyedrops, baby aspirin and calcium tabs.

Every. Single. Morning.  Like clockwork.

That routine is followed by the kitchen which doesn't have near as many "moving parts."

Plug in my cell, turn on coffee, grab the cream.

Living room: open blinds, turn on a few lights and head on into the den until I hear the beeps telling me the coffee is done.

This is all extremely fascinating, isn't it?

So, this morning Petey got up before me.  I laid in bed thinking "this is cool.  I'll just hang out here long enough for the coffee to do its thing and then I'll walk directly to the pot and pour."

No, Ellen.  There are a few things you need to do before heading down the hallway.

I removed my retainer but forgot the eyedrops.

I took my Lipitor (which I take at night) instead of the aspirin and completely forgot the calcium!

The upside is with the double dose of Lipitor I'm thinking I can do ice cream TWICE today!

 

A wonderful lady died today

 I got a text today alerting me that one of my mother's oldest and dearest friends died this morning.

Her name was Anita Vance. 

I shouldn't have been surprised because, you see, Anita was 100 years old. I had been preparing myself for this day but even so, the news stopped me in my tracks.

And then the tears came.  It felt like she was my last thread leading directly to my mom. 

Anita and I stayed in touch after mom's death 3 years ago.

I called a few times but her hearing loss robbed us of quality conversation.

And then . . . . I got a text one day.  From Anita!  At the age of 99 she learned how to text!!!

The first few were interesting in that she seemed to have adopted the "Uncle Ray" (my mom's brother) style of texting.  No punctuation.

I began sending her pictures of things and places we'd been to - sunsets, birds, our new house, etc.

She always responded.  Texting her appreciation.

I took advantage of this new communication a while back to let her know how much staying in touch meant to me. I knew this online friendship couldn't possibly last much longer.  I'm really glad she knew how important she was to me.

Her last text to me was August 27.  She praised me for appreciating the beauty of my surroundings and included a dancing heart emoji.

A dancing heart!  I don't even know how to do that!!!

She and mom were very, very different people.  They talked about their differences often and those discussions brought them even closer over the years.

I'll miss her very much.  

Where's the Kleenex???

Might be time to go pillow shopping

 Oh, nooooooooooooo.  I hate pillow shopping.

Firm? Soft? Feather? Foam?  Too many choices.

And what if I get the wrong one?  How do you test drive a pillow?

When you were a kid, did you give any thought at all as to what you were going to put your head on at night?  

If you had older sibs you probably got their hand-me-downs and they were passing along whatever mom bought.

For a number of years Petey and I had those contoured memory foam jobs.  We even traveled with them.  We used a large black garbage bag (nothing but class) to tote them in and they took up a surprising amount of space in the car.  But well worth it because we believed they were life savers.

Those bags were sturdy too.  We used them for a number of years.  We kept on using them (actually, now that I think about it, I believe we put both pillows in one bag) even though one of the corners was frayed (the bag, not the pillow).

Until . . . . we went to Chicago to meet our nephew, Mike, and his family.  Mike had reserved rooms at The Ritz!!! 

There was no way we could take that nasty old garbage bag into the Ritz and not look like "The Clampetts Go to the City."

But how would/could we possibly sleep without our pillows???

Turns out, just fine because - THE RITZ!

We stopped traveling with our pillows after that but we still have to face the pillow department every now and then.

I can't remember how often "they" say you're supposed to get rid of your pillows but I believe we passed that bench mark quite some time ago.

I despise the thought of pillow shopping.  Almost as much as I despise those fluorescent lights in the dressing rooms but I know it's something we must do.

Anyone want to come along?  It'll be fun.  We'll do lunch afterward.

 

Visiting questions

 Don't ask me what nudged me to write this blog but I've noticed this before and thought I'd ask y'all if you've noticed it too.

This only happens when you're visiting (like out-of-town) with friends or family.

And - this might only happen when you visit your home town from elsewhere.

I'll use my sisters as an example.

Lisa visiting from MD:  "Hi, Tom.  So nice to see you."

Tom:  "Wow, how long has it been anyway?  So, when'd ya get here?"

Lisa:  "Oh, last night around 6-ish."

Tom:  "So, how long ya staying?"

Lisa:  "Probably until Ellen and Pete throw me out."  hehe I made that last part up.

                                          Or

Stacey:  "Val!  Norm!  I'm so glad we ran into you.  You both look great."

Val/Norm:  "Oh, Stace. We knew you were going to be visiting some time soon.  When did you get here?"

Stacey:  "Day before yesterday."

Val/Norm: "So how long can you stay?"

Notice anything?

Do you think the "when did you get here and when are you leaving" questions are just something people say to . . . . what?  Break the ice or do they give the questions any thought it all? Do they really care?

Or - are they not really very happy to see you and they can't wait to see the back side of you???

Or . . . am I the only one this happens to?  No.  That can't be it.

The Temperature Dropped!!!

 Ahhhhhhhhhh.  Michigan.

We are just entering the "flexible clothing" time of the year.

It happens in the spring and then we get to go through the whole process again in the fall. It's all about layering.  There can sometimes be 3 costume changes in one day.  Not kidding.

Changing closet contents and lugging shoes around.  Thankfully there are no stairs involved anymore.

I don't miss them.

Yesterday I had the 3 Ss going on.

Sleeveless, shorts and sandals.

Today?

SOCKS!  SHOES! and LONG PANTS!!!

My body is in shock from the knees down.

My arms aren't happy either.

Oh, and did I mention it's ugly as all get-out today?

Time for some Netflix binge watching.

So . . . . yesterday

Yesterday ran the gambit from excited to disappointment to educational to yummy to ahhhh.

I was excited before I even got out of bed because we were scheduled to go hiking with our friends, Donna and Tom Nowak.  The feeling fizzled immediately upon removal of my ear plugs.

Rain.  Boy, howdy.  It was a gully washer.  So we rescheduled for next week.

Now what?  I finished stringing up some new bracelets.  Fixed lunch and then noticed the sky was clearing up.

Petey had a great idea: check out Holland's Guide to Historic Sites.

Much like Allegan, Holland had some very cool old buildings.  There are 33 on the list and we made it to the ones downtown on foot.  The others will wait for another time.

The highlight of that tour was the 5/3 building on 8th Street.  OMG! You have to go inside (they're used to seeing heads tilted upward with mouths agape) and check it out.

When we were ready for a break and feeling a bit peckish we took the recommendation of our friend Craig VanMelle and went to Poppin Huis for popcorn (yes, they make it all there and there are many, many choices) and some chocolate covered pecans.

Since it had turned out to be such a gorgeous day, we weren't quite ready to go back to The Red House so we hauled the chairs out of the car and went to Centennial Park and got into the corn/candy.

We tried unsuccessfully to not over do because we were going to a new-to-us restaurant in a few short hours.

The recommendation came to us via our neighbors Laurie and Roger and it was a spot-on suggestion.  

The James Street Inn.  Petey had the perch and I went with the ribs.  Definitely going back - several hundred more times.

Now since we were out on James St. and not far from the beach and seeing as sunset was about 30 minutes away - off we went.

This was "turning lemons into lemonade" to a T.

Can you whistle?

I noticed something about my whistle the other day.  I think the quality has improved.  

I've always been able to whistle but nothing particularly melodious.  Not like a guy I know in Allegan - Matt.  He has an amazing whistle.  Like he should be making whistling records.  Is there such a thing?

I actually have two whistles.  The normal one and the "call the dog from a block away" one.

With my normal whistle I could push out a recognizable tune but it wouldn't stop people in the street.  They'd be able to know it was "If I Had a Hammer" and maybe hum a long for a bit but there'd be no applause when I finished.

My really loud (some might call it shrill) whistle is something you're born with.  It can not be learned.  You either have it or you don't.  And it's not the one where you have to stick your fingers in your mouth.  That one is referred to as the "sissy" whistle by those of us who are gifted with the "big boy/girl" whistle.  

I had quite a scare recently, however.  A few years ago I got braces - uppers only.  The see-thru kind.  I was happy with the outcome and then an occasion presented itself where my big whistle was needed.

It was still there but weakened.  After a few failed attempts I realized it was because my teeth had been moved around.  I was afraid that my identity as a "Whistle Queen" (yes, I gave myself that label) was in jeopardy. After some intensive work it came back but not at full capacity. 

I can live with that . . . I guess.

Now, back to the normal whistle. For some reason I started whistling one of my favorite EG Kight songs last week and surprised myself with the quality of the sound.  Pleasantly surprised you might say.

The only down side was I happened to be standing in front of the bathroom mirror at the time and noticed all the little wrinkles around my lips.  Wow, there were a lot.

I won't let that stop me, though.  I'll just do my whistling in the dark from now on. 

It's not a trailer!

 

Not that there's anything wrong with trailers.  We lived in one back in the early 70s in FL when Petey was in the Coast Guard.  It was a great home for us for three years.

During that time my grandparents lived (during the winter) in a beautiful home in the Sarasota area. I remember visiting for the first time and referring to their home as a trailer.

I don't ever remember hearing my gramps yell and he didn't then either but he used a tone of voice that was quite serious when he responded to me.

"Ellen, this is not a trailer.  It's a mobile home."

Since those days there have been many changes in the construction of  non-stick-built homes.

Ours is manufactured home.  The specs are the same if not better and it was built indoors so it didn't have to shiver and shake out in the elements.  

It was delivered via truck in two halves, however.  A garage was then built on site and attached.  As well as a front porch.

When we filled out the paper work with our insurance agency, they had a hard time finding a category for our house.  

Nope - not a trailer.  Nope, not a camper.  Nope, not a mobile home.

So apparently it's going to take a while for the descriptions to catch up.

When one our neighbor went to register to vote, the woman she talked to said, "Oh, you live in that trailer park on 32nd Street."

We have some work to do in spreading the word.

Better yet, come see our house.

More Red House Ramblings

 You have at least one junk drawer, don't you?  In your kitchen, home office, den, etc?

We had 3 in the old house and somehow all the contents ended up in this one (1) "I'd forgotten it was even there" drawer in the kitchen.  We must have thrown out a busload of stuff, eh?

 

Soon after we moved into the Red House Peter realized he'd misplaced/lost his book of authors.  We both have one with an alphabetized list of authors and the titles of the books we've read so we don't keep checking out the same books over and over again.  You've done that before, haven't you?  Haven't you?

We looked everywhere - at least 3 times.  Couldn't imagine where that darned thing got to. 

We knew we'd eventually find it and we did but not before poor Petey brought two books home for the Holland library he'd already read.  

Guess where we (Petey) found it.  Yup, that junk drawer!

Whew.

Next rambling has to do with birds.  I thought I was really going to miss the bird action we had in Allegan because of the lack of trees here at the Red House.  I was a bit sad about that but knew going in things were going to be different.

Well, we have a variety of birds here but a few less.  No chickadees or nuthatches but we have kildeer.  They're helping to fill the bird void.  I love those guys and they're everywhere!

Last rambling:  I love Holland but there's no Jazzercise here.  I've been a Jazzerciser for 30 years and loved the classes and have had the same instructor, Brenda Pearson, for the entire time.

How was I going to survive?  Well, Jazzercise has an online/app that has saved my butt.  Literally.  I tune in 6 mornings a week and am so, so grateful. With the plethora of restaurants here it is helping me "fight the spread." 

It's not the same and never will be.  Hanging with my Jazz peeps in Allegan was always the highlight of my day but . . . . 

So, now you're pretty much up to date with life at the Red House. 

 

Red House Ramblings

It's been 3 weeks since we moved into the Red House and we're a bit more settled than a week ago.

I'm not trying to drift toward the fridge, left of the sink, like it was back in Allegan but catching myself in time to make the correction.  Muscle memory takes a while to change.

Like the light switches.  They're all toggle switches here and there are a lot of them which has taken a while to get straight in my head.  Which one does what; still working on a few.  However, I find myself for some strange reason trying to "flick" the bedroom light on.  We didn't even have wall switches in our bedroom in Allegan.

Speaking of Allegan.  I went back to get my hair cut earlier this week.  I haven't considered, even for a moment, of looking for someone else to cut my hair here - Michelle is the best.
I wasn't sure how I would feel driving into town, and of course, I passed my old house.
I will always miss Allegan and all the wonderful years we spent there.  I will always miss that old blue house but I feel very settled with it being in the hands of a caring couple.
And - it's only 22 miles away!

I don't watch the morning news anymore.  I think it's partly because we can actually see the sunrise here and we couldn't in Allegan because of the trees.  It's also because the news was making me crazy so I'm better off without it.  Bonus - wonderful morning views of the sun.

I'm back working as a freelance interpreter.  Between going to FL right after Christmas last year and Covid-19, I haven't worked since early December.  I've also narrowed down the area I'm willing to work in to Holland exclusively so working and living in the same town has been great.

Walking to the central mail drop area instead of receiving letters at our house has been an experience I haven't had since college. Remember those little boxes you opened hoping to see something in there?  Waving your hand around inside to make sure you didn't miss anything? Great way to meet people in the community and stretch my legs a bit too.

Petey and I still have moments when we feel like we're on vacation.  Like when we go to FL.  We enjoy the heck out of ourselves and then it's "time to go home."  

Last night we went downtown to have a bite and it had the hustle and bustle feel of a vacation spot.  You could tell most of the people there were on vacay because the adults had their kids with them!
We were like "isn't it cool that we live here and our house is just 3 miles away?

So, we're not in FL packing to go home and we're not on a weekend getaway, we're in Holland, MI in the Red House.

Life is good.

It's Been Two Weeks Already

Wow, it's been two weeks since we moved into the Red House!
It's amazing how fast time flies when you're trying to figure out which light switch lets you see what's happening at the sink and which one leads the way to the washing machine.

We still have a few tiny things that need to be taken care of but the big stuff is DONE!

Petey and I love starting our mornings out on the front porch with coffee listening to the train.

We really enjoy walking the 'hood after dinner and chatting up the neighbors and petting their dogs.

We're digging the hell out of the two sinks in the master (my niece, Stef, told me we're supposed to call it the "primary") bathroom and the BIG shower.  It has a bench in it, y'all.

And don't get me started on the optional use of the SECOND bathroom. We've at least stopped giggling at how tickled we are.

This decision to move wasn't an easy one but we both feel very comfortable - knowing it was right for us.

What's in a name

Names are important.  It's a huge part of who we are - how we're identified.

Petey is 100% Sicilian.  All four of his grandparents came from Sicily.  

Probably when his paternal grandfather came through Ellis Island, whoever was manning the desk that day pronounced his last name as Alta . . . more.  The melodious ring was gone and I suppose he didn't feel comfortable schooling this "American" on the correct pronunciation of his name.

And so it goes.

Until now.  I always told Peter that if we ever moved out of Allegan we were going to reclaim our name.  Give it the old Sicilian swing.
We've been (ok, maybe just me) practicing the last few years when we spend a few chilly months in Florida and it felt right.

I realize we haven't moved very far away (only 22 miles) but in the new digs in the new home town our name is pronounced 

                                       Alta more a (long A)   

First Night in the Red House

The move yesterday couldn't have gone smoother.
Thank you, Two Men and a Truck.  Actually, there were 3 guys and they flew like greased lightning.  
They finished with 15 minutes to spare on the low end of the estimate.  Yea!

Petey and I worked like crazy but not too crazy getting things put away.  There is still a lot of tweaking but we slept in a bed with sheets on it so I'll call that good.

We had lunch at our dining table and a wonderful dinner provided by our friend, Paula.

After dinner I decided to give the dishwasher a whirl.  I haven't used one since the early 70s.  Things have changed.

Luckily I was Facetiming with my sister, Lisa, when we realized that the "pod" I put into that new fancy machine was meant for the washer!!! The one that cleans your clothes - not your dishes.

The dang things look exactly alike.

Fortunately, I saw my error quickly and we didn't end up with a floor full of suds.

This was after trying out the gas oven and the new microwave.
There's a big learning curve ahead of me.

We slept comfortably and woke up to an early morning coffee on the front porch.

We're very happy in The Red House.

A Big Change

Today we close on our Allegan house and start the move to our new Holland house.

I've been saying the words "we're moving to Holland" for a while now but seeing it on the screen really makes it feel real.

I've lived in Allegan for all but 10 years of my life.  Peter and I have been in this house for 42 years!

We've been having the "do we stay in this house forever?" discussion for quite a while.  We love southwest MI and knew we didn't want to go far and recently all the stars were aligned and we bought a home in a 55+ community in nearby Holland.  It's only 22 miles away.

There are many things we'll miss about Allegan and this old house but, like I said, we're only 22 miles away.  

More details will follow as we go through this process but I have to stop now and dab at my eyes.  Something weird is going on there.

Have you been updated?

My friend, Kathi, recently had an issue with her iphone.  She needed my help.  Rut-ro.  I'm not much help when it comes to tech issues so I put in a call to my geek buddy, Jeremy.  

After I described the issue he said "Rut-ro. You're gonna need a bigger boat."  hehe  Get the reference?  You didn't?  How old are you, anyway???

The problem was that iphone had an update that caused a problem for Kathi which could only be rectified by an Apple pro so off to Best Buy and their Geek Squad.

Problem solved quicker than we imagined and we were on our merry way.

Yesterday I was on my merry way to Michael's (big sale) and needed to use my Google Maps but . . . Rut-ro.
What???  Nothing was working right.  Then I saw a notice on my screen which made my blood run cold.

UPDATE COMPLETED

Ok, fine but now - because of APPLE - I needed my id and password to get the thing up and running again.

Do I know my Apple id?  Yes.  Do I know my password?  Hell, no!!!

Now I can't access the coupon I need while in Michael's in order to get even MORE of a discount!

I have a list of user names and passwords in a doc on my phone BUT I CAN'T GET TO THEM BECAUSE - well you know . . . .

Fortunately, the kindly cashier took pity on me and gave me the extra 20% off my entire purchase without seeing the coupon ON MY PHONE.

I think it was the puppy dog eyes brimming with tears that softened her heart.

I love my phone.  Use it all the time but I sure wish Apple would send out a big fat "heads up" before they turn my life upside down.

Feeling much more settled today.  

Thank you for listening.

Yellow is the new green

I'm talking traffic signals.  You know, stop lights.
We all know what the red means, right?  STOP!

We all know what green means, too.  GO!

Yellow is a little iffy, though.  I think it depends on how far away you are when it shows up. If it changes while you're in the intersection . . . obviously you breeze right on through.

If you're exceeding the speed limit by 5 or 20mph and you're fairly close then do you stand on your brakes or continue on your law-breaking way???

I have seen more people run - and by run, I mean who-are-you-kidding-me?-run through yellow/red down here. More red than yellow.

I was half way through a yellow the other day and checked out my rear view mirror to see who would be following me.  I swear 3 cars were lined up without a backward (or sideways) glance to see if anyone one else was coming (legally) from the other direction.

I was talking to someone the other day that said he thought he remembered a time when there wasn't a yellow.  Really?  He didn't look ancient but I wonder if that was so.

This wasn't a rant and it wasn't a complaint.
Just an observation because I'm observant.

Mom - not afraid to try . . . anything

I know, I know.  What the heck is the deal with that T-shirt and how is it connected to my mom?

Hang on.  The explanation is comin'.

So mom had a zest for life and when she was curious about something or how to fix something or how to "change" something to make it better, she'd go  looking for an answer.  

Often times there was paint involved.  You could find those huge colored paper clips holding things together and rubber bands used in very unique ways.

I have a million examples but, you know me, I'm not into the long blog so I'll cut to the chase.

The house we're renting in FL has air vents at the top of the walls, near the ceilings - no basements down here.

Well, when we turned the AC on the air in the bedroom shot across the room, hit the wall behind the bed and dropped right down onto my head.

I, like my mom and my younger sister, Lisa, (haven't asked my older sister, Stacey yet) can't deal with that.  I was draping my bathrobe and other items over my head to block the jet stream.  It wasn't a satisfactory solution.

So Lisa, was telling me about the vent in her bedroom and she had the same problem.  She solved the issue by attaching a piece of cloth across the vent. I think there were paper clips involved.  It didn't completely block the air; let in enough to cool the joint down but didn't freeze her ears off.

I took another look at the vent in our place.

Hence the T-shirt shoved between vents using a wooden spoon.

Ta-da!  Mom would be so proud.

Turning signal

So.  Do you use yours?  All the time - without fail?
I sure try to.  I even use mine when I'm in a "turn only" lane. 

I don't call that obsessive.  I call that being aware of my surroundings and trying to make sure everyone near me knows what my next move is going to be.

I've noticed that people here in St.Pete are pretty good about using their blinkers.  That's probably because there's so much more traffic here than in my little town of Allegan. 

Three, sometimes, four lanes all going what feels like TOO DAMN FAST to me.

The use of their turning signals does not stop them from jumping from lane to lane, however.  Dang.

Also, have you ever noticed the solid white lines on the pavement as you approach the stop lights on streets that have 2 or more lanes?

That means you're not supposed to be jockeying for position at the last second when the light turns green.  
But I see people doing it all the time.

And speaking of traffic signals.  I would suggest you not be in an all-fired hurry to be the jack rabbit when that light does turn green.

Know why?  Cuz the person on the intersecting street will more than likely be running the red light.
Duck!!! I've lost count how many times I've seen that happen.
However, if you're too slow getting out there, you can be rest assured the knucklehead behind you will let you know about it.  Honk, honk.

St.Pete is busy.  Much more traffic than I'm used to in my 3-light little town but Petey and I are used to it (pretty much) and have sharpened our defensive driving skills.

Having said that, we're usually back, safely on the couch, by dark unless we're pretty darned close.

Does this sound like it's written by someone in her 70s?  Poop! 

Can scales lie???

I'm not confusing "lie" and "lay."  Although I will admit (without shame) that I have, on many occasions, mixed them up.
I'm also pretty sure that "lie" is only used when you are referring to humans - but I'm talking about an inanimate object.
A thing.
I'm not talking about fish scales.
I'm not talking about scaling a cliff.  Well, that's a verb so . . . duh.
I'm talking about that nasty, judgy (yes, I know that's not really a word but everyone uses now so . . ) thing that sits on the floor of your bathroom floor daring you to STEP ON IT.
Petey and I have been enjoying the heck out of the huge variety of food options down here in St.Pete.
Enjoying is actually a tame word compared to what we've been doing.
A better description might be "eating with reckless abandon."
I am now above the number I said I would NOT go above EVER AGAIN.
Yeah, I know.  Most of us have been there more than once or a thousand times.
Time to get real.
For me that means "knock off (or at least diminish a bit) the sweets!
And that's going to happen as soon as I finish off the chocolate drizzled bag of popcorn my evil friend Kathi gave me for my birthday.

Our New Favorite Pizza Joint

There's a place called Cappy's very near our rental here in St.Pete.  We've passed it practically daily for the passed three years but never stopped.

Well, tonight we did and I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that Petey and I have found our new favorite eatery.

Our server, Abby, suggested the Greek salad to sit along side the New York style hand-tossed cheese pizza we ordered.  

OMG!  What a sidekick.  It was, honestly, the best Greek salad I've ever had.

The pizza crust was like the soft/crunchy feel you get with a really good Italian bread.  No floppy, oily mess happening here.

The sauce was perfect and so was the "just the right amount" of cheese on top.

Petey and I are smitten and can't wait to return.
I'm feeling daily drop-ins comin' up!!!

            It's like eating in somebody's house

               New York, hand-tossed, cheese

                   Our wonderful server, Abby

                          Curbside at Cappy's

 Who does this??? Double Bubble with your check???

The best Greek salad EVER!