Saturday, March 9, 2013

The Last Saturday

This is the last Saturday I will spend in my house. I am still trying to look on the move as an adventure.

Leslie called me last night and told me not to try to do anything else in the garage or shed. She said John and Jeromy will put all that stuff in there in that cargo trailer and store it for the yard sale I will have in the spring. She said I should just concentrate on the house and let them take care of the garage and shed after they get that microwave up over the stove. She was afraid I was overdoing. She was probably right. I finally worked out that catch in my get-a-long yesterday and slept like a baby last night for the first time in weeks. I worked until 7:00 last night.

If at all possible, I will go to the dinner on Sunday evening at Bobby and Karan's house. It is the last harrah for Howard and Judy. They leave after that for California. I don't envy them their move. They will drive a you haul all the way to California over the mountains in snow and winter while towing a car. They too are in their seventies and they have never driven a truck like that especially while towing a car. It sounds like a nightmare to me. It makes my move seem simple.

I will meet Bob at 7:00 for breakfast and then put together some boxes here and get them labeled for Monday. We may go to Bartlesville to the mall if his valence came in at Penney's. I need to return one of my Roman blinds that was too small for the window. I need to reorder it too in the correct size. If I can't get that size, I will need to order something that will fit that den window. After helping Bill with the other blinds, I can put that one up by myself. I would like to have one of those hex screwdrivers. That was a lifesaver. You don't strip the screw head with those. I would also like to have a battery operated drill with screwdriver attachment. I may buy one. Bill's had a hex driver attachment too.

I would like the landlord to put up an "over the stool" cabinet in the bathroom. I don't have enough bathroom storage. After all, I am going from a bath and a half to just one bath.

More later..if I have time.

Friday, March 8, 2013

A Terrible Day

I got quite a bit done today. I could have got more done but I had complications. Bill came down and helped my get the Roman blinds hung....all but the den one. It was the wrong size. I will return it and reorder. It was 28 inches wide and should have been 31 and a 1/4 inches wide. I can put that one up myself when it comes.

I got the kitchen one up myself. I had to climb up on the cabinets to do it. It's amazing what you can do with an icepick and a screwdriver.

The bathroom and kitchen ones were a real challenge. We could not get them to clip until we wrestled them. And we had to go to Orchelon's to get shorter screws with a hex head to install them. No one there could help us so we ran up to Ace Hardware.

After we finished, I took Bill to eat out and bought his lunch. Bob met us and joined us.

I still need to pack my underwear, socks and bras and the things I will wear for the next four days. I have two boxes of rummage packed here in the den and a couple in the second bedroom too and the steamer. I have my sewing machine and sewing box to go too from the hall closet. There are a very few things left in the utility room area. It's my small steamer and cleaning supplies box.

Also, I will need to pack the stuff in the frig and freezer Tuesday morning. The mover will be here at 8:00, he said. I did buy another ten banker's boxes this evening. I only wanted four but our Wal Mart did not have the packs of only four....wouldn't you know! So I bought ten more.

John and Jeff will have their hands full putting all that "stuff" in the garage in that cargo trailer. Part of it is old tax records to be burned and part of it is stuff to save for the rummage sale. I will also go through my clothes in the closets after I get settled and put all those things I can no longer wear in the thrift shop at the Presbyterian Church. No sense hanging on the clothes I can no longer wear.

Then I came back before the meeting and Bill turned off the water to the frig. It dripped awhile but we put a wastebasket under it figuring the line was full of water. Two hours later, the bucket was half full of water. I called Bobby frantically! He came right over and tried to tighten the cut off valve. It still leaked. He went up to Orchelon's and got a cap for it and after five tries, he finally got it tightened down and the drip stopped. However the entire afternoon was wasted. I did make one more trip to the apartment with the rest of my clothing and shoes...all but those I will wear until Tuesday.

The meeting lasted from 2:00 until 4:00 so that cut a swath out of the afternoon. I stopped at Sonic on my way back from Wal Mart and bought a child's chicken strip dinner with small coke. Again, I am exhausted!

What a mess!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Another Busy Thursday

Yesterday was humongous. I packed and moved until 4:10 and then finally stopped because I was exhausted. I have most of the bathroom and kitchen moved and moved in. None of the decorative accessories are up though until I get the furniture in place.

John and Leslie and Jeff and Cyndi will bring the stove in Sunday afternoon but first John and Jeff will get that over the range microwave installed. Then they need to come over to the house and load up the " stuff" in the garage. I am going to bite the bullet and put all my Christmas decorations in Bob's trash on Friday. I called to get an extra trash pickup here but they were already overbooked. So I will haul everything over to Bob's. He gets his trash pickup on Fridays.

I need to take the stuff from my closets to the apartment today. That will take all day. The next big project will be to dismantle and move my computer, modem and router. I still don't have the blinds up. Richard called yesterday and he is worse..much worse. He had a doctor's appointment yesterday. He has a terrible cold that may have gone into pneumonia. Bobby also has his hands full. Karan is sick with the flu. He may get it. They both had their flu shots but research shows that seniors flu shots are only 9% effective. The "experts" tell us our immune systems are challenged because of our age.

So I will contact Bill and see if he can come help me get those blinds up and perhaps even move the computer. He may be working. Marvin has had to resign because of his health concerns. I'm sure it will all work out eventually. In the meantime, my cellulitis is still with me and I am out of meds. I have an appointment with the dermatologist in Bartlesville at 1:10 on the 19th.

More later...if I find the time.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Another Huge Wednesday

I am so lucky I have nothing scheduled for this week except the class reunion meeting on Friday afternoon. Next week is packed and that is moving and closing week. I just keep finding stuff to pack. I am going to get out a black yard bag and start just throwing away stuff I will never use. No one else will want it either. I have one box going for rummage stuff that the kids will store for me until the yard sale. There are half a dozen of those boxes already.

Yesterday was exhausting! I will get a key made for Leslie today and go out to Wal Mart to buy a few things for the apartment. I need a rack to screw on the back of the door of the cabinet under the sink for waxed papers, saran wrap and rolls of foil. I need another rack for the back of the door of my bedroom. I keep my robes hanging there. I want to get a new swifter. Mine has come apart and I use it here nearly every day. Of course the apartment has vinyl in only the kitchen and bath so the vacuum will be the most used there. I use both here. Moving is certainly exhausting...especially if you're doing most of it by yourself. Until I get the furniture moved, I can only put away the kitchen and bath stuff and perhaps some stuff that goes over the washer and dryer. I also need more banker boxes.

I have an appointment on the 19th with Dr. Eslicker, the dermatologist in Bartlesville about my cellulitis. It is still not cleared up and tonight's antibiotic is the last one of this latest round.

About 7:00, when it begins to get light, I will take the boxes I have in the car over to the apartment. Then I can load up the ones I packed last night and take them over too. I also need to run by Keith and Joyce's store and see if they has any more boxes.

More later...if I have time.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Terribly Busy Tuesday

This will be a terribly busy day. I will take some more boxes over to the apartment just as soon as I finish this. I opened a cabinet this morning and found a set of glasses we had overlooked and I also packed all the corning ware. I still have the stuff under the sink to do and the stuff in the utility area. I also have all the closets to move. I will also have the last minute stuff like the food in the freezer and the frig and the food in the pantry. I also have the spices above the sink to pack.

I will have to get some more boxes and I am nearly out of newspapers. But I'm getting closer every day...thank goodness!

I was warming up one of yesterday morning's biscuits in the skillet and got busy with this blog and burned it. So I've started over with another one. :) I didn't eat any dinner last night...just took a glass of milk with my meds. That's why I'm eating something this morning. I need to take my antibiotic. I have just enough for one more tonight and two for tomorrow. I still have my cellulitis. I will be calling my doctor again tomorrow.

We will go to Bartlesville to find my white range hood today and perhaps get a Rubbermaid storage cabinet I can store my flat hose in and some garden stuff. I want to do a flower bed this spring. I will also get some hanging baskets this spring if I can figure out a place to hang them. I may instead just fill my fancy pots. I can set them near my patio door or out front.

More later...if I have time.

This was one exhausting day. Bob and I both went with Leslie to Bartlesville. We ate at Dink's and then I bought a microwave at Lowes'. It mounts under my cabinet above my range and John and Leslie came clear back over here this evening to begin the process of installing it. That got it figured out but will have to take the power cord up into the cabinet over the stove and install a plug in to plug it in. It's a big process to lift it up and attach it after he gets the microwave frame attached to the cabinet. John should not try to do it alone. It's a two man job.

Bob found his kitchen curtains and will get them up tomorrow. We will each have to try to get a door curtain made from a panel I bought at J C Penney's. No one has small door panel curtains anymore. I bought a couple of curtain rods anyhow.

He didn't come over this evening. He was exhausted too. I'm amazed that Leslie is holding up so well. She intends to go back to work the following week after I get moved next week.

I took my bath and it's almost 8:30. I am going to bed.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Busy Monday

My realtor contacted me yesterday afternoon to say I need to move from the house before the closing and the closing has been moved up to the 13th. I finally contacted my mover after not being able to reach him all day and have moved the moving date to the 11th or the 12th...a week earlier then planned. He will call me this afternoon with a firm date. He has to see if his helper will be available.

I am still not completely packed. I think I can get it finished today though...all but that garage and shed. I will need to leave enough here for basic living until the day before the move. The day of the move, I will need to pack my freezer and refrigerator stuff so he can move the frig. My grandson is coming today at noon to look over the shed and garage situation. My daughter thinks they can store stuff I will save for a yard sale in the spring. It will be difficult to advertise a yard sale in a twice weekly newspaper. An ad for three days on Open Line 69 will run $5.00. But it's an AM station. I think the audience is pretty large because people can sell stuff on that morning program.

I heard from Richard in this morning's e-mail. He still has his cold so it will be the middle to the end of the week before he can get my shades up. I want to ask the landlord to repair two chipped storm windows at the house and I need to get two drapery rods down. They will be in the way of the shades. I am still looking for some sort of curtain to cover the window in the carport door entrance.

Leslie will be coming in this morning to bring her SUV. She has the seats down and I can load up those boxes of books in it and we will take them to the apartment. I will have to carry them in because she is just barely recovering from her back surgery. She can open doors for me.

More later if I have time....

We packed all morning and moved boxes over to the apartment. After lunch at 1:00, I convinced Leslie to stop and go home to rest. I continued until mid afternoon unpacking and putting dishes away until around 3:00 then I came home and repacked boxes and my car until 4:30. Finally I sat down and am resting. I am awfully tired. I know I am not going to be able to use all my decorative accessories so after I get everything put away the best I can, I will pick and choose what to use. The rest will go into the yard sale.

I still have some odds and ends to pack. There are my pans, canisters, underwear and pj's and all the stuff in the closets. I didn't get any of it moved. There's just a lot of stuff here.

I have stopped for the day. I will have my hair done in the morning, pick Leslie up and we will go to Bartlesville to Lowes' tomorrow to look for some door curtains and some organizers for the closets and drawers. I started to take the range hood down because I am going to get a white one to match Cyndi's stove. It was attached by a large electric cord. I finally called Mr. Bishop and he will finish taking it down either tonight or tomorrow morning. Bob dropped by. Mr. Bishop is buying Bob a new stove. That one in his house is a mess. It simply couldn't be salvaged.

I am so tired. I hope I sleep well tonight.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

A Better Sunday

I am hoping it is not just wishful thinking but I think the cellulitis is some better this morning. I have three more days of meds to take. If it's not gone by Thursday, I will ask my doctor to get me an appointment with Dr. Eslicker in Bartlesville.

Yesterday, Bob and I did take the day off to go shopping for his valences, new towels and bed coverlet in Joplin. We had a good time and he bought my lunch for "helping" him. I wasn't a lot of help but he got some things done...and spent some money too.

Before we left, I got my sermon ready for next Sunday. After we got home, about 5:30, I packed and loaded up my car until 7:00. Then I stopped and took my bath and put my PJs on and was going to watch TV. Instead, I read my mail and a magazine. I went to bed about 8:30 again and was sound asleep when my youngest son called again about 10:00 to ask me a question about the Bible. I didn't know the answer to his question so he let me go and I went right back to sleep. I awoke again about 1:00 and took my meds and went to the bathroom and then went back to sleep until 6:30. I got some sleep caught up at last.

This morning I will go to church and out to eat with the group that eats out together afterward. Then I will come home and take all the stuff I packed yesterday evening over to the apartment. This evening I will watch 60 Minutes and do my letters in the morning. The mail doesn't come until noon anyhow. I always put those that go into snail mail in my mailbox with the flag up.

I feel better today. I got a lot of my decorative accessories down and packed and pulled all the nails out of the walls yesterday evening. I still have packing to do but it can wait until I get the shed and garage cleaned out and that "stuff" out on the curb to be picked up. I will take the yard tools to the church sheds. It is supposed to be warmer this week.

More later....