2007/04/07
This may be the last posting on this blog. I will have to start to dismantle the computers tomorrow or Monday.
Tomorrow most of my furniture that has been bought will be picked up. Mother and I will go for Easter dinner at Marlene's. It was very nice of her to invite us.
Monday, the movers come in to pack and take away everything that is going to Vancouver. Tuesday the rest of the stuff that is not going will be picked up and taken away for auction. I leave by train for Vancouver on Wed. April 11 at 5:00 and arrive in Vancouver on Friday at 8:00 am.
I am very happy to be going to live near my daughter and her husband. The adventure begins!
None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives. ~Kathleen Norris
0 comments
Tomorrow most of my furniture that has been bought will be picked up. Mother and I will go for Easter dinner at Marlene's. It was very nice of her to invite us.
Monday, the movers come in to pack and take away everything that is going to Vancouver. Tuesday the rest of the stuff that is not going will be picked up and taken away for auction. I leave by train for Vancouver on Wed. April 11 at 5:00 and arrive in Vancouver on Friday at 8:00 am.
I am very happy to be going to live near my daughter and her husband. The adventure begins!
None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives. ~Kathleen Norris
2007/04/04
Winterpeg, Dad-in-care, Brother Reformed
It is April already. It doesn't feel like spring here in Winterpeg. The high was only minus 5 today with a bitter wind. I heard someone say recently they like Manitoba because there are four distinct seasons. Well, here's another point of view. Manitoba has four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and potholes! That's what it feels like today- still winter!
I just got back a few hours ago from a visit to Saint John, New Brunswick. I went to see my Dad. He is in a very nice personal care home just for veterans. Everyone knows everyone there and they are taking very good care of him. I played cribbage with him. I was surprised that he can still do that. At first I had to coach him along, but the longer we played, the better he remembered and at the end he was counting up the points faster than I was! I am so happy that he is in a safe place. I told the physio-therapist that he likes to play cards and I'm hoping they will play with him once in a while. It will keep him going longer. My cousin Lucy and I went shopping to buy him a few more clothes.
One of the women working there said that for the first few days he wandered around trying to get out, but the doors are all locked. He has on an alarm bracelet, too, just in case he gets out. He complained to me that they wouldn't let him out. I tried to make him see they were just trying to keep him safe, but, of course, it makes him feel restricted. He seems to have more or less accepted that he's there to stay. That need to wander is quite common in people with dementia.
Those of you who know my brother will be pleasantly surprised to hear he is taking his responsibility (Power of Attorney) for my father quite seriously. You could have knocked me over with a feather when my brother told me that he has finally figured it all out. He can get a job with any taxi company in Saint John because he has formed a reputation for honesty and reliability. He laughed out loud when he said that and admitted that he "wasn't always that way." I laughed out loud, too. Anyway, he is taking care of Dad and seeing to his medical and financial needs.
One more week, seven more days and I will be on the train to Vancouver. Unbelievable! I am now car-less. No, not careless, car-less - I sold my car on Saturday. Tomorrow I get a rental for my last week in Winnipeg. I have a few last minute things that need doing.
HEY, HOW ABOUT SOMEBODY ELSE OUT THERE BLOGGING BESIDES ME AND GARY!
Winterpeg, Dad-in-care, Brother Reformed
0 comments
I just got back a few hours ago from a visit to Saint John, New Brunswick. I went to see my Dad. He is in a very nice personal care home just for veterans. Everyone knows everyone there and they are taking very good care of him. I played cribbage with him. I was surprised that he can still do that. At first I had to coach him along, but the longer we played, the better he remembered and at the end he was counting up the points faster than I was! I am so happy that he is in a safe place. I told the physio-therapist that he likes to play cards and I'm hoping they will play with him once in a while. It will keep him going longer. My cousin Lucy and I went shopping to buy him a few more clothes.
One of the women working there said that for the first few days he wandered around trying to get out, but the doors are all locked. He has on an alarm bracelet, too, just in case he gets out. He complained to me that they wouldn't let him out. I tried to make him see they were just trying to keep him safe, but, of course, it makes him feel restricted. He seems to have more or less accepted that he's there to stay. That need to wander is quite common in people with dementia.
Those of you who know my brother will be pleasantly surprised to hear he is taking his responsibility (Power of Attorney) for my father quite seriously. You could have knocked me over with a feather when my brother told me that he has finally figured it all out. He can get a job with any taxi company in Saint John because he has formed a reputation for honesty and reliability. He laughed out loud when he said that and admitted that he "wasn't always that way." I laughed out loud, too. Anyway, he is taking care of Dad and seeing to his medical and financial needs.
One more week, seven more days and I will be on the train to Vancouver. Unbelievable! I am now car-less. No, not careless, car-less - I sold my car on Saturday. Tomorrow I get a rental for my last week in Winnipeg. I have a few last minute things that need doing.
HEY, HOW ABOUT SOMEBODY ELSE OUT THERE BLOGGING BESIDES ME AND GARY!
Winterpeg, Dad-in-care, Brother Reformed
2007/03/30
Prairie Beauty and End of a Chapter
Have you ever seen a sunset so beautiful? I took this picture on my way home from a visit to J and L's Ranch. The beautiful colours of the sunset are reflected in a puddle of spring melt-off. This prairie crocus will miss the beauties of the prairies and they are many. This is just one of them. I pity people who say, "There is nothing to see on the prairies." Every place has its beauty. I have a children's book that describes the beauties of the prairie. It's called, If You're Not From The Prairie...
I have been very busy saying goodbye to people and places. I went to the Reh-fit Centre for the last time today. It was sad to think Dennis never got to see the renovated building. We went there three times a week and for him the social aspect was as important as the workout. He spent just as much time talking to his friends as he did on the bikes or walking the track. He would have loved the new building.
I said goodbye to some of my friends there. Cathy, the nurse with the great sense of humour. Dennis enjoyed her wit. Tammy, a receptionist, a tiny, quiet, shy person Dennis used to tease. Henry, an accountant who gave Dennis a very funny CD of some Motown songs done in the style of bluegrass. Bradley, a young, buff fire-fighter who is also a substitute teacher and once asked Dennis where was a good place to take woman out to dinner, but not too expensive. Paul, who works as a cook at a nunnery and had the same endocrinologist as Dennis. Helga, whose friendship with me began when she heard of Dennis' death. Gail, a widow who lost her beloved husband five years ago. Dennis used to listen to her husband Jim whose speech was quite impaired from a stroke and pretend he could understand what Jim was saying. Dennis was so concerned for Gail when Jim died - he made a point of hugging her the first time she came back to the reh-fit. He knew how hard it was for her to go there alone. He was so empathic. Elaine, who was going through the pain of separation. Norm, who also volunteered at the Western Canada Aviation Museum. My friends at the Reh-fit were so intertwined with Dennis and his social life that it feels like another loss. Another chapter in the book of my life has come to an end.
Stay tuned. The Prairie Crocus is going to be transplanted to the west coast.
The language of friendship is not words but meanings. ~Henry David Thoreau
Prairie Beauty and End of a Chapter
2007/03/25
NYTimes, Constance, and Provence
It's been kind of a ho-hum day. I read the paper, did the Sunday New York Times crossword (didn't quite get it all), did laundry, culled a few more things not going with me to Vancouver and watched "The Last Waltz." I had never seen it so I picked it up for 10 bucks. I did not know that it was directed by Martin Scorsese. That Neil Young looked just as goofy as he does now, but Robbie Robertson looked so young!
Yesterday three friends and I went to see "The Constant Wife" at Manitoba Theatre Centre. I was surprised to see a witty farce written by Somerset Maugham. The actor who played Constance, the wife, was very good. Maugham really understood that economic freedom meant sexual freedom for women. He was ahead of his time. The female characters were fuller than the male. I think Maugham gave the men short shrift. They seemed to be either silly or aggressive or both. Well, it might have been the acting or the directing - hard to tell. Still I was used to thinking of Maugham as a dramatic novelist with social commentary. This light-hearted play made me think of Noel Coward's plays. It had the same sort of witty British upper-class language.
Afterwards we went to a restaurant called "Provence." The food was quite ordinary and the wine was overpriced, but the service was impeccable. Margot would have been pleased with the service and she has high standards. It's a little sad to think that was the last play I will be here to attend. Next Saturday P and P are having a farewell party for me.
I see by Gary's blog that they are on their way home tomorrow and may get home at the end of March or April 1. And Charlene is away for some training for work. Why don't the rest of you get blogging!
Ta ta and take care and PEACE.
Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious. ~Peter Ustinov
NYTimes, Constance, and Provence
0 comments
Yesterday three friends and I went to see "The Constant Wife" at Manitoba Theatre Centre. I was surprised to see a witty farce written by Somerset Maugham. The actor who played Constance, the wife, was very good. Maugham really understood that economic freedom meant sexual freedom for women. He was ahead of his time. The female characters were fuller than the male. I think Maugham gave the men short shrift. They seemed to be either silly or aggressive or both. Well, it might have been the acting or the directing - hard to tell. Still I was used to thinking of Maugham as a dramatic novelist with social commentary. This light-hearted play made me think of Noel Coward's plays. It had the same sort of witty British upper-class language.
Afterwards we went to a restaurant called "Provence." The food was quite ordinary and the wine was overpriced, but the service was impeccable. Margot would have been pleased with the service and she has high standards. It's a little sad to think that was the last play I will be here to attend. Next Saturday P and P are having a farewell party for me.
I see by Gary's blog that they are on their way home tomorrow and may get home at the end of March or April 1. And Charlene is away for some training for work. Why don't the rest of you get blogging!
Ta ta and take care and PEACE.
Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious. ~Peter Ustinov
NYTimes, Constance, and Provence
2007/03/22
Posh Spa, Ridgewood, Saint John and Friends
Margot has just gone home from her visit to Winnipeg. It was so great to be together one last time in the old house. We went for pedicures at a really posh spa called "Ten" at the Hotel Fort Garry. I was a spa virgin, so I'll describe it. First you get into a white terry cloth robe. You sit in a lounge to wait for your esthetician and munch goodies. There is even wine (for a price). Soft music and lighting makes it all very relaxing. Then take you in to the pedicure roomand they wrap you in a comforter and you lounge in a recliner chair while they pamper your feet. It was so luxurious. I could get used to such luxury!
Margot and I went for lunch and dinners and even took in a movie. Of course we spent lots of time reminiscing about her childhood and discussing how our grieving is going. When I dropped her off at the airport she was a little under the weather. We dosed her up with Tylenol. She's been developing a virus of some kind so I hope she'll be all right. In three more weeks I will be in Vancouver! Time is flying.
I have chosen my mover and they are packing everything for me, so nothing remains but to cull out more things that I am not taking and arrange for those items to be picked up for auction.
I have made arrangements to sell my car and I have made my travel arrangements by train through the Rockies. I think it will be a good trip. Lots of great scenery to be seen from the VIARAIL train.
I have word that my father is to be transferred to Ridgewood, a veterans' personal care home next Tuesday. That was really good news as he has been in an acute care hospital since last August. Now I know he will be well cared for and it's a load off my mind. I'm pleased because at a place like that they must know how to handle cases of dementia like his and he'll be looked after.
So I decided to go to Saint John for a couple of days to see him. I'm going April 2 to 4. Who knows how long he will recognize me? And it will cost more if I wait until I am in Vancouver. So, things continue to move right along.
The neighbours have all been so good, offering advice (most of it useful) and help with cleaning out the house, etc. A lot of my furniture has been bought by my neighbours. And I continue to meet friends for lunch, dinner and get-togethers. I am lucky to have so many good friends. I will miss them. Will I make new friends?
The adventure continues.
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France
Posh Spa, Ridgewood, Saint John and Friends
0 comments
Margot and I went for lunch and dinners and even took in a movie. Of course we spent lots of time reminiscing about her childhood and discussing how our grieving is going. When I dropped her off at the airport she was a little under the weather. We dosed her up with Tylenol. She's been developing a virus of some kind so I hope she'll be all right. In three more weeks I will be in Vancouver! Time is flying.
I have chosen my mover and they are packing everything for me, so nothing remains but to cull out more things that I am not taking and arrange for those items to be picked up for auction.
I have made arrangements to sell my car and I have made my travel arrangements by train through the Rockies. I think it will be a good trip. Lots of great scenery to be seen from the VIARAIL train.
I have word that my father is to be transferred to Ridgewood, a veterans' personal care home next Tuesday. That was really good news as he has been in an acute care hospital since last August. Now I know he will be well cared for and it's a load off my mind. I'm pleased because at a place like that they must know how to handle cases of dementia like his and he'll be looked after.
So I decided to go to Saint John for a couple of days to see him. I'm going April 2 to 4. Who knows how long he will recognize me? And it will cost more if I wait until I am in Vancouver. So, things continue to move right along.
The neighbours have all been so good, offering advice (most of it useful) and help with cleaning out the house, etc. A lot of my furniture has been bought by my neighbours. And I continue to meet friends for lunch, dinner and get-togethers. I am lucky to have so many good friends. I will miss them. Will I make new friends?
The adventure continues.
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France
Posh Spa, Ridgewood, Saint John and Friends
2007/03/17
Moving Estimates, Laptop and Anniversary
I've been busy sorting, packing and having lunches with friends. I had three moving companies here for estimates. Honestly, I don't know how to compare the three estimates. They all had different assessments of the weight of what I'm taking to Vancouver. They all mentioned different services they provide (for a price). The highest estimate was almost twice as much as the lowest estimate. It's hard to know if the person who did the highest one was mistaken or inexperienced, or whether the lowest one was lowballed and will turn out to be much higher after the load is actually weighed. Only one estimator suggested that if the apartment block I move into can't handle a large semi, they will have to hire someone to shuttle the load in a smaller truck at an additional cost of $500. Apparently that is quite common in downtown Vancouver. Neither of the other two mentioned that. What is a person to do? It's all very confusing. I think I should talk it over with Margot when she gets here.
Margot is arriving on Monday for one last visit to the house in which she grew up. We have plans for pedicures. It's a mother/daughter bonding time. We will take Nana out for dinner and there just might be a Jeanne's cake in there somewhere. There is still lots of packing to do. I've been getting boxes at liquor stores. It seems to be the only place where they still allow customers to take away the empty boxes.
I am also in the process of transferring all my pictures and files from the desktop computer to the laptop. I will only be taking the laptop to Vancouver. Most of my other stuff is going to auction. The people who bought the house also bought the dining room suite.
Yesterday was the anniversary date. 15 months. I get sad every month on the 16th. It usually starts a few days before. I think I will always miss him. I miss his great smile, his humour, his intelligence, his gentleness. I like to look at Jack's blog where there is a memorial and picture. And the poem that accompanies it is so apt. I saw a book at McNally Robinson called "The Cruciverbalist's World" and I thought of him. He loved doing the Sunday New York Times crossword. We did it together.
Tata, and take care, and PEACE.
Gone - flitted away,
Taken the stars from the night and the sun
From the day!
Gone, and a cloud in my heart.~Alfred Tennyson
Moving Estimates, Laptop and Anniversary
0 comments
Margot is arriving on Monday for one last visit to the house in which she grew up. We have plans for pedicures. It's a mother/daughter bonding time. We will take Nana out for dinner and there just might be a Jeanne's cake in there somewhere. There is still lots of packing to do. I've been getting boxes at liquor stores. It seems to be the only place where they still allow customers to take away the empty boxes.
I am also in the process of transferring all my pictures and files from the desktop computer to the laptop. I will only be taking the laptop to Vancouver. Most of my other stuff is going to auction. The people who bought the house also bought the dining room suite.
Yesterday was the anniversary date. 15 months. I get sad every month on the 16th. It usually starts a few days before. I think I will always miss him. I miss his great smile, his humour, his intelligence, his gentleness. I like to look at Jack's blog where there is a memorial and picture. And the poem that accompanies it is so apt. I saw a book at McNally Robinson called "The Cruciverbalist's World" and I thought of him. He loved doing the Sunday New York Times crossword. We did it together.
Tata, and take care, and PEACE.
Gone - flitted away,
Taken the stars from the night and the sun
From the day!
Gone, and a cloud in my heart.~Alfred Tennyson
Moving Estimates, Laptop and Anniversary
2007/03/08
Bye-Bye Subbing, Wall of Honour, Eating Out
Today was my last day as a substitute teacher. I subbed in a really nice class of grade twos and threes. One of my regulars. We played Numero and I read them one of my stories (a repeat of my story, "Stinky", by request). It was so nice to end on such a positive note. I brought almond haystacks, a treat that I made for them myself. They also spent time with their grade seven buddies and about half a dozen of the grade seven students wrote me a great thank you letter and said I was their favourite substitute teacher. It was so heart-warming. Lots of hugs from both the little ones and the not-so-little-ones.
I am glad to be fully retired now. It is a wonderful end to a mostly satisfying career.
Then I went to the Reh-fit for a workout and afterwards went to a special reception put on by the Reh-fit for "major donors." I made a donation to the Reh-fit over a year ago in Dennis' honour and they assured me his name would be on the Honour Wall. Well, they decided they wanted to re-do the Honour Wall and so none of the plaques have been put back up since the new building was finished. It has taken them this long just to choose the artist who is to re-do the plaques! It may not be up before I leave for Vancouver. That is most disappointing. I guess they invited me to the reception to make up for dragging their feet on the Honour Wall.
Maybe the plaque will be up by the time Gary and Carolyn are here to help Mother pack up for the move to Victoria. It will say: In memory of Dennis Neil Ousey 1947-2005. It will be there as long as the building is standing, a long, long time. It's comforting to think about that.
A moving company is coming to give me an estimate tomorrow morning. I have lunch with one friend and dinner with another friend. Mother is coming over to visit this weekend and we are hoping to get out to dinner on Sunday with Kim and Kevin. There is a dinner meeting on Saturday with the Humanist Association of Manitoba. Some students from Afrique 2007 will talk about their recent trip to Senegal, Africa. Busy, busy, busy. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.
Tata, take care and peace.
The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off. ~Abe Lemons
Bye-Bye Subbing, Wall of Honour, Eating Out
0 comments
I am glad to be fully retired now. It is a wonderful end to a mostly satisfying career.
Then I went to the Reh-fit for a workout and afterwards went to a special reception put on by the Reh-fit for "major donors." I made a donation to the Reh-fit over a year ago in Dennis' honour and they assured me his name would be on the Honour Wall. Well, they decided they wanted to re-do the Honour Wall and so none of the plaques have been put back up since the new building was finished. It has taken them this long just to choose the artist who is to re-do the plaques! It may not be up before I leave for Vancouver. That is most disappointing. I guess they invited me to the reception to make up for dragging their feet on the Honour Wall.
Maybe the plaque will be up by the time Gary and Carolyn are here to help Mother pack up for the move to Victoria. It will say: In memory of Dennis Neil Ousey 1947-2005. It will be there as long as the building is standing, a long, long time. It's comforting to think about that.
A moving company is coming to give me an estimate tomorrow morning. I have lunch with one friend and dinner with another friend. Mother is coming over to visit this weekend and we are hoping to get out to dinner on Sunday with Kim and Kevin. There is a dinner meeting on Saturday with the Humanist Association of Manitoba. Some students from Afrique 2007 will talk about their recent trip to Senegal, Africa. Busy, busy, busy. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.
Tata, take care and peace.
The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off. ~Abe Lemons
Bye-Bye Subbing, Wall of Honour, Eating Out
2007/03/07
Moving Right Along
Hello to everyone in blogland. It was certainly a relief to get the house sold. The buyers are a forty-something couple living in Brandon. He is ex-army and now works for the government. They have no children. They seem very nice. They came to see the house again on Sunday (he hadn't seen it yet). They bought some of my stuff, the dining room suite, some electronics, my lawn mower. A few less things for me to worry about.
Now that I know when I am leaving I have been able to make some plans. I have phoned everyone that needed to know from Manitoba Hydro to Shaw cable. I have hired an auctioneer to sell the stuff I'm not taking with me including my car. They will pick up the stuff and sell it and send me a cheque. How easy is that?
I haven't picked a mover yet, there are several coming to give me estimates. I also spent some time moving boxes and packing more things in boxes. I know I will be ready. I could probably be ready sooner than April 11, but that is the day my train leaves for Vancouver.
Margot is coming for a few days to say goodbye to the house. It is the house she grew up in. We lived here since 1980. It's starting to look more and more like it did when we moved in - mostly empty.
No one in the family has blogged for several days! Get blogging out there. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms!
Tata and take care and peace.
Moving Right Along
0 comments
Now that I know when I am leaving I have been able to make some plans. I have phoned everyone that needed to know from Manitoba Hydro to Shaw cable. I have hired an auctioneer to sell the stuff I'm not taking with me including my car. They will pick up the stuff and sell it and send me a cheque. How easy is that?
I haven't picked a mover yet, there are several coming to give me estimates. I also spent some time moving boxes and packing more things in boxes. I know I will be ready. I could probably be ready sooner than April 11, but that is the day my train leaves for Vancouver.
Margot is coming for a few days to say goodbye to the house. It is the house she grew up in. We lived here since 1980. It's starting to look more and more like it did when we moved in - mostly empty.
No one in the family has blogged for several days! Get blogging out there. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms!
Tata and take care and peace.
Moving Right Along
2007/03/02
House Sold, Moving On
Hello to everyone out there in blogland. I can't believe this blog has had over 14,000 hits! That is fantastic. I just checked the stats for today and there were 15 people checking out the blog, 9 new people and 6 returnees. Unbelieveable!
The big news: my house is sold. Possession date is April 15. I have a lot to do. I decided to travel to Vancouver by train. I don't want to drive all that way by myself. Besides the old Tore-ass might not make it all that way through the mountains. And I can't travel by plane because I'm taking his urn with me. I phoned Air Canada and asked if I could carry it on the plane and they said I could, but they could not guarantee that security wouldn't ask me to open it so they could examine the contents. That would be too horrible to contemplate, so the train was the obvious choice.
I have booked a bedroom on the train for April 11, to arrive in Vancouver April 13. I am really looking forward to the trip. It was in our long term plans to take a train trip from here to Vancouver. We were waiting until we were both 60 because then you get a seniors discount. This is not the way we planned it, but he will be travelling through the Rockies by train with me.
And I have so much to do before I leave. I have to arrange for movers, sell my car, get an auction firm to sell any furniture and household goods that I am not taking, phone up all the companies about my household bills. And I have to see all my friends to say goodbye. I have several lunch dates already.
My condolences to Charlene and family. So sorry to hear of your loss. It's so sad when a young person dies. Glad to hear Lyn is better.
Got to go - lots to plan and do.
There is nothing permanent but change. ~ Heraclitus
House Sold, Moving On
1 comments
The big news: my house is sold. Possession date is April 15. I have a lot to do. I decided to travel to Vancouver by train. I don't want to drive all that way by myself. Besides the old Tore-ass might not make it all that way through the mountains. And I can't travel by plane because I'm taking his urn with me. I phoned Air Canada and asked if I could carry it on the plane and they said I could, but they could not guarantee that security wouldn't ask me to open it so they could examine the contents. That would be too horrible to contemplate, so the train was the obvious choice.
I have booked a bedroom on the train for April 11, to arrive in Vancouver April 13. I am really looking forward to the trip. It was in our long term plans to take a train trip from here to Vancouver. We were waiting until we were both 60 because then you get a seniors discount. This is not the way we planned it, but he will be travelling through the Rockies by train with me.
And I have so much to do before I leave. I have to arrange for movers, sell my car, get an auction firm to sell any furniture and household goods that I am not taking, phone up all the companies about my household bills. And I have to see all my friends to say goodbye. I have several lunch dates already.
My condolences to Charlene and family. So sorry to hear of your loss. It's so sad when a young person dies. Glad to hear Lyn is better.
Got to go - lots to plan and do.
There is nothing permanent but change. ~ Heraclitus
House Sold, Moving On
2007/02/23
Stranger In My Own House
I am a stranger in my own house. Here I sit in my professionally cleaned, tidied and decluttered, ready-to-be-shown house. I am afraid to do anything here for fear I will make a mess or dirty it up. How will I feel once it is sold....?
There are eight appointments booked for tomorrow(Saturday) between 10 am and 8 pm and I am hightailing it out of here early in the morning. I figure I've done all I can to prepare this house for the market and now I should make myself scarce so that the prospective buyers can feel more comfortable looking over the house. So I am driving up to Gimli for the day with my friend, W.
On Sunday we have an open house and we may have more appointments that day, too. My agent assures me we'll have lots of offers. We take offers until Monday.
Yesterday, the weather forecast was for a winter storm or possibly a blizzard for today and tomorrow. I was quite anxious that it might cause some cancellations of appointments to view the house. But the weather advisory has now been lifted. It seems we won't have that storm after all and I am so relieved.
It's a pity that he's not here to experience the mixture of sadness and excitement of selling our home.
Happy belated birthday to Charlene. Hope Lyn is feeling better these days. Congratulations on the new car, David.
Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley
Stranger In My Own House
0 comments
There are eight appointments booked for tomorrow(Saturday) between 10 am and 8 pm and I am hightailing it out of here early in the morning. I figure I've done all I can to prepare this house for the market and now I should make myself scarce so that the prospective buyers can feel more comfortable looking over the house. So I am driving up to Gimli for the day with my friend, W.
On Sunday we have an open house and we may have more appointments that day, too. My agent assures me we'll have lots of offers. We take offers until Monday.
Yesterday, the weather forecast was for a winter storm or possibly a blizzard for today and tomorrow. I was quite anxious that it might cause some cancellations of appointments to view the house. But the weather advisory has now been lifted. It seems we won't have that storm after all and I am so relieved.
It's a pity that he's not here to experience the mixture of sadness and excitement of selling our home.
Happy belated birthday to Charlene. Hope Lyn is feeling better these days. Congratulations on the new car, David.
Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley
Stranger In My Own House
2007/02/19
What's Up With Murphey?
Why is it that Murphey's Law kicks in as soon as you are into something important? This morning I woke up at 5 AM. Anxious to get the jump on marketing the house, I guess. Couldn't get back to sleep, so I washed walls in the basement for a couple of hours. When they are anxious men pace; women clean. Then, my burglar alarm system started to beep and the "trouble" light went on. Tried to use the phone, lots of static. People would phone me and get sent to my voice mail when I was home. Long story short - I thought I was going to be without my phone just at the time when my house was going on the market. Not the most enviable position to be in. The techie from MTS came and told me the phone in the computer room that was plugged into the computer was shorting out the whole system!
Okay, that was good - one problem solved. I just disconnected it and surprise - everything SEEMS to be working just fine! Off I went to sub at Burland School. Easy peasy. But it was the lull before the You-know.
Then as I was eating my dinner, a huge piece of a filling fell out of my mouth! Dr. Rick just repaired that filling three weeks ago! Luckily he can see me at nine tomorrow morning. But I will be missing part of the agents' open house. There will be agents looking over my house from 10:00 to 12:00 tomorrow morning.
Dare I go out and start my car tomorrow morning to get to the dentist? Or should I just take a cab? With the way my luck has been running, I will get halfway there and the car will just quit on me. Well, if you don't laugh, you'll cry. If it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all.
More updates coming. Wish me luck - or just the non-theatrical, everyday equivalent of "break a leg." Oh, no, not that...!
Keep laughing.
The more I attempted to "be me" the more "me's" I found there were.I now see that "being me" means acknowledging all that I feel at the moment,and then taking responsibility for my actions by consciously choosing which level of my feelings I am going to respond to.... Hugh PratherNotes to Myself : My Struggle to Become a Person (This sounds intriguing)
What's Up With Murphey?
0 comments
Okay, that was good - one problem solved. I just disconnected it and surprise - everything SEEMS to be working just fine! Off I went to sub at Burland School. Easy peasy. But it was the lull before the You-know.
Then as I was eating my dinner, a huge piece of a filling fell out of my mouth! Dr. Rick just repaired that filling three weeks ago! Luckily he can see me at nine tomorrow morning. But I will be missing part of the agents' open house. There will be agents looking over my house from 10:00 to 12:00 tomorrow morning.
Dare I go out and start my car tomorrow morning to get to the dentist? Or should I just take a cab? With the way my luck has been running, I will get halfway there and the car will just quit on me. Well, if you don't laugh, you'll cry. If it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all.
More updates coming. Wish me luck - or just the non-theatrical, everyday equivalent of "break a leg." Oh, no, not that...!
Keep laughing.
The more I attempted to "be me" the more "me's" I found there were.I now see that "being me" means acknowledging all that I feel at the moment,and then taking responsibility for my actions by consciously choosing which level of my feelings I am going to respond to.... Hugh PratherNotes to Myself : My Struggle to Become a Person (This sounds intriguing)
What's Up With Murphey?
2007/02/18
Bouquet, Little House for Sale
Here is the wonderful bouquet my daughter sent me to celebrate putting my house on the market.
It's official. My little house on the prairie is now up for sale. I am asking $179 900. Tomorrow there will be an agents' open house and on Saturday and Sunday we will be showing. We take offers on Monday, Feb. 26. I am certain it will sell quickly and then I can start making my plans to move to Vancouver.
On Saturday my friends P, P, and J and I went to see a play at the theatre centre and then went out to the Round Table for dinner. I had a really nice prime rib dinner. They are famous for their prime rib.
I see by Lyn's blog that she has been suffering from vertigo. Details to the right if you click on the hyperlink to her blog. Hope you are feeling better, Sweetie. Love to you and yours.
Tata, take care and peace.
Bouquet, Little House for Sale
2007/02/11
Extreme Cold, Movie Reviews, Trying to Keep Warm
Our cold snap continues. We joke about the cold winters here in "Winterpeg" but it really is no joking matter. Today's paper carried a story about a woman who went to take out her garbage, fell and froze to death in her back yard a few days ago. Her neighbours found her body the next day. And the surprising part? She was not a senior citizen - she was 33 years old! When the temperature gets down to minus 40 and 50, it gets dangerous.
Speaking of cold, I have a medical condition called Raynaud's syndrome in which my circulation in my fingers and toes goes down to nothing and my fingers get white. These days my fingers sometimes get so cold I can't grab anything or feel anything. It doesn't matter what kind of gloves or mitts I wear, my hands get so cold I have to soak them in hot water for a few minutes when I get indoors. I just spent two days searching for something to keep my fingers warm, but finding nothing. I went to a medical supply store, drugstores, department stores. Why doesn't somebody invent a type of glove with those bean thingys inside that could be heated up in the microwave like in the "Magic Bag?" The closest thing I found was a little bag that is meant to go into a slipper that can be heated up in a microwave. When I put it into my mitts it keeps my fingers warm for about 15 -20 minutes. I just can't be outside (or even in the car) for much longer.
This problem is just another reason why I should be moving to a warmer place like Vancouver. Although I have noticed that my fingers can get white even in the spring and fall. The temperature doesn't have to be below freezing. But perhaps it won't be quite as bad or as often.
I have been to quite few movies lately. Some thumbnail reviews: Notes on a Scandal - great acting, exploration of an evil personality and a victim. Venus - Seventy-something O'Toole lusts after an eighteen-year-old. Disturbing, unattractive, masterful job of creating an unlikeable character. Best line of the movie: (spoken by O'Toole's character) "I'm near the end of my life and I still don't know who I am." The audience knows, though. He's a scuzzy, self-centred, irresponsible old man. Flushed Away - hilarious, baby-boomer-aimed humor, puns, visual jokes, little gems satirizing movies, the kind of movie you know you will find things you missed first time around if you watch it again.
My house goes on the market one week from tomorrow! It's getting close. I had a look at some Vancouver apartments for rent online again today. So many good ones!
Keep warm! Happy Valentine's Day on Wednesday.
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments: love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds. ~ William Shakespeare
Extreme Cold, Movie Reviews, Trying to Keep Warm
0 comments
Speaking of cold, I have a medical condition called Raynaud's syndrome in which my circulation in my fingers and toes goes down to nothing and my fingers get white. These days my fingers sometimes get so cold I can't grab anything or feel anything. It doesn't matter what kind of gloves or mitts I wear, my hands get so cold I have to soak them in hot water for a few minutes when I get indoors. I just spent two days searching for something to keep my fingers warm, but finding nothing. I went to a medical supply store, drugstores, department stores. Why doesn't somebody invent a type of glove with those bean thingys inside that could be heated up in the microwave like in the "Magic Bag?" The closest thing I found was a little bag that is meant to go into a slipper that can be heated up in a microwave. When I put it into my mitts it keeps my fingers warm for about 15 -20 minutes. I just can't be outside (or even in the car) for much longer.
This problem is just another reason why I should be moving to a warmer place like Vancouver. Although I have noticed that my fingers can get white even in the spring and fall. The temperature doesn't have to be below freezing. But perhaps it won't be quite as bad or as often.
I have been to quite few movies lately. Some thumbnail reviews: Notes on a Scandal - great acting, exploration of an evil personality and a victim. Venus - Seventy-something O'Toole lusts after an eighteen-year-old. Disturbing, unattractive, masterful job of creating an unlikeable character. Best line of the movie: (spoken by O'Toole's character) "I'm near the end of my life and I still don't know who I am." The audience knows, though. He's a scuzzy, self-centred, irresponsible old man. Flushed Away - hilarious, baby-boomer-aimed humor, puns, visual jokes, little gems satirizing movies, the kind of movie you know you will find things you missed first time around if you watch it again.
My house goes on the market one week from tomorrow! It's getting close. I had a look at some Vancouver apartments for rent online again today. So many good ones!
Keep warm! Happy Valentine's Day on Wednesday.
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments: love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds. ~ William Shakespeare
Extreme Cold, Movie Reviews, Trying to Keep Warm
2007/02/08
Blooming Plant, Empty Basement, Full Heart
The cold snap continues here in Winnipeg. Predicted high for today with wind chill -31 degrees Celsius! I hope it gets a little milder by the 19th when my house goes on the market.
Here is Dennis' Christmas cactus blooming. Last year it did not bloom at all. It seems to me to be one of Nature's miracles that it has survived at all.
We never kept many plants because I have always had whatever is the opposite of a green thumb. I just had to look at a plant and it died. So any plants we did have were his responsibility.
The plant was not watered for the three weeks I was in BC in December and I think that may actually be the reason it has bloomed this year. I found out that this type of plant likes desert conditions and should not be watered more often than once every month! I think last year I overwatered it and that's why it didn't bloom. I am surprised it survived at all. I almost killed it with kindness.
Yesterday I subbed in a grade three class. Tomorrow I work in a grade six class. This morning I had all the junk from the basement hauled away. The basement rec room is so empty, if I speak out loud I can hear an echo. It was just like that when we moved into the house.
I remember thinking that the house seemed so empty when we first moved in, but over the years we filled it up and then some. I used to joke that the house was so big compared to the apartments we had lived in, that Dennis and I could be in far apart rooms and not be able to hear each other. It is only a 1200 square foot bungalow, but it seemed huge to us. Dennis used to say it was a four plug house. By that he meant we had to plug the vacuum cleaner into four different outlets in order to vacuum the whole house.
It felt good to see all that junk leaving the basement. Tears came to my eyes when they carried out the old brown leatherette rocker. When I was pregnant Dennis used to sit in it and hold me in his lap. When I was feeling blue or scared he rocked me. He was so gentle and concerned for my well-being when I was pregnant that I knew he was going to be a great Dad.
It will be hard to leave this house for the last time. My heart is so full of memories.
This afternoon I am going to see a movie. I need to cheer myself up. There are still some good movies out there that I haven't seen. I am eagerly anticipating the Oscars this year. There have been some excellent movies that deserve awards.
Take good care of each other. Keep warm!
It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home. ~Author Unknown
Blooming Plant, Empty Basement, Full Heart
