Some Random Goodness

We had an icy snowstorm last week, but it has been pretty nice ever since, even sunny. All week, it is still only supposed to be in the 20s and 30s. Notice, there is no apostrophe needed there.
We changed realtors and in five weeks, he sold the house for over the asking price. This is a great way to end the winter.
I bought ink and was able to print more art that I will package for sale in person or on my Etsy page.
I joined an small business accountability group that meets on Monday mornings and it has changed my life.
Our friend who broke her leg in the car accident is getting the help she needs.
Our nephew is camping out at our house until he can move into the house his mom bought last week.
My stepson got out of eight very challenging years in the USAF and moved into our family room in the fall. He has been there on the couch ever since. Lots of healing and rest needed. He will likely be moving to school in a month or two. He has changed life for my kids, for the better.
I have one "kid" in his second year of college at Ohio State Lima. He will move to Columbus this summer. He works hard and parties hard. He recently acquired a bearded dragon. He also smokes a jewel. I have another "kid" who is loving her first year in a local college. She joined band, playing (carrying) one brass instrument or another. She thought the director did not know she was not actually blowing into the thing, but he did. He said she knows enough now that she ought to play it.
Then I have the last kid who is in a different school district than the one he grew up in. He is doing his last 2 years at another school and is doing fine.
We have two others, one in Columbus in IT. He is kind of a hermit, I think. The other is in Hawaii and has a bunch of kids. We haven't seen her since 2002.
Our niece, sister to the above-mentioned camping nephew, comes by every other week with her two little ones and her husband-type-person. The kids are five and six and very cute. It's like having grandchildren.
My one sister just bought a house, and I would love to go down and help her unpack. Not sure I can, but I want to. She helped me tremendously in so many ways and it would be a nice payback.
My other sister has way too much on her plate as a super-mom, doting wife, caring sister, and more. I am my happiest when I know she can give attention to her Self.
One brother is Basically Unknown since he has limited energy to interact. I at least can text with him and keep him in prayer. Health issues are pressing.
My other brother is a kind and caring chef and host. He sent me to Florida in December for a break and wow, it was amazing.
All my siblings are extremely generous in every way.
Mom is hopping around to see them all. I am glad she is enjoying that!
Our business is slooooooow this year. Not sure what to do about that.
I need to do keep working on weight loss and am looking forward to swimming.
I have two friends who just got hip replacements and one more to go.
The vets who live here just did the dishes.
I am building a new website for my own biz.
I am meeting a friend at 1:00 and looking forward to seeing her.
I met two childhood friends yesterday and we went to the botanical gardens. Excellent visit.
I really want to clean house, but have other things to do first. I am writing this blog post just to get some of my head clear. I love cleaning house. I love to cook, too, but leave it to others for now.
The family went to West Side Market yesterday.
Our new pastor will probably get here in a month or less and this means I have a new boss! I can hardly wait for this fresh start and to see what is in store-- God has plans.
I really need to get to an OA meeting and may just do a phone meeting since I don't know if I can get to one tonight.
Need to do our laundry today.
Need more airport runs.
March and April is a big deal because once May gets here, the Outside calls me, big time.
I have to teach tomorrow.
I really want to clean the house, get  a new muffler and oil change, buy some clothes and work in the studio.
Okay, that is enough.
Happy Monday.

Trust in the Lord
Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-10
Thus says the Lord,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
“For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.
“For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.
“The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
“I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.

MRI

www.mountsinai.org/locations/cerebrovascular-center/conditions/vascular-malformations/cavernomasi
I think I need to check mine out again.

House for Sale

by Nancy Aikins

I stood in my empty kitchen

missing everything that made it a kitchen

and looked out the picture window into the back yard.

There is the old silver maple, still falling apart, busy with bugs and birds

taking advantage of its slow death. There is the fire pit filled with water,

the pit my husband built for his oldest son’s graduation party.

There is the hole where the fountain was,

the fountain I made for our nephew’s graduation party.

Over there is the spent garden,

where peonies bent over, heavy with beauty,

where asparagus sprouted and seeded,

tomatoes overflowed into the next yard,

mint took over just as the ribbon plant,

and flowers kept coming back, year after year.

There is the fairy garden, the stack of chairs,

the broken lattice and some bricks.

The kitchen is quiet, but I can hear all our conversations,

jokes, laughter, homework sessions, planning sessions, holiday meals,

dish washing, dogs, cats, guests. I can see the table that needs cleared,

the floor that needs swept, the shoes left there from yesterday,

the sweater on the back of the chair, books, batteries, toys, pencils.

That floor never did get replaced. Neither did the doors or windows.

The walls and wallpaper took a long time, but looked nice.

The kids never came back for seven years. By then, we got more.

Working was hard, as the kids all had needs and I chose to be there.

It was fun and it was worth it, but something had to go

and it would not be people or memories, but the house and sometimes our nerves.

That kitchen will never be empty.

2018 is the Year I Will Turn 60 (I hope)

A new friend inspired me to write in my blog again, so being a copy-cat, here I am.
What is new with you? With me, lots. This is the first winter in the "new" house. It's very nice. The heat is gravity heat, so no annoying blowers to wake me up when they rattle. There's lots of light,
which means a lot to me. Then there are some tasks we finally got to this week, getting rid of the boxes of mystery in the filing closet being one. There's order in the closet! My husband haaaaaates doing that stuff, but he plowed through it with me, though my plow is like a state truck and his is a Jeep with a pusher. He is so much better at social things; paperwork is like torture. I hate it too, but we have to practice adulting before we move to the old folks home. Not that we will, as we have very little retirement.
I took down half the holiday decor already, though I am not sure it was noticeable. The main room was decorated the most, the living room with the mantel and tree and such. The kitchen had a little, which is gone now, and the dining room's is half-packed as well. I am ready to Move On. Since I took the Enneagram test and scored a Type 4 (I actually tied with a 5 and 7 as well), it might his explain why I live out here with the decorations and windows and the rest of my family sits in front of a laptop, a computer, a telephone or a handheld.  Explains plenty.
Des is getting ready to start her semester at college in a week; Dakota is back Thursday to Mayfield. We have snow, magic snow that appeared on Christmas Eve and has been with us since. I have been sick, so I have not been out in it much. First time being sick in 2 years. As long as there is no nausea, I am happy.
Mom had her Christmas party a week after I got back from Florida. Yes, I went to Florida for the first time in many years. It was fantastic. It was a gift from my brother, and we stayed at his place. I walked to the beach every morning. It was like heaven. So Mom got back after me and had the party. It is always nice, but I am supposed to hold it next year. I hope people come.
I have been in Overeaters Anonymous for a year now. I really like it. I had a month of abstinence, but blew it a week ago. I had another day started, but today wasn't abstinent, so the clock starts again tomorrow. In any case, I have grown in many ways, not outwardly, thank goodness, and lost 10 pounds this year. Not great, but not horrid.
More than anything, I am hoping to get all this clutter out of the way and my studio opened up again so I can paint. I just want to get down there and do it. I go nuts when I have to keep doing other things first, all the time, especially when I feel alone doing it.
I am also committing to going to do my drawing on Wednesdays and Fridays. That's it. I just have to go. I need people, peers, fun. I am alone too much and do boring things ad nauseum. Everything will change in spring, when I cannot think straight, I will be outside so much.
And money. I still need to figure out how to make it and hope beyond hope, I can soon. I am often convinced that I am the reason we lost our house. This is very defeating and I think it makes me actually numb to be in that category.

I do feel like an idiot sometimes, though I am not one.
So, no earth-shattering news or info. Just me rambling while everyone's at the movies.

This, not that

I went for a walk around my yard this morning, taking in the perfect 55 degree, lush, green, cloudy spring morning. I know I will miss the yard. I just made a little pond last year. Right near it grows Japanese irises from my friend, Marie. The bird feeder, which looks like a little building with siding, has not been used in years, since the squirrels and deer eat everything. Besides, the thing is huge. Then there are shrubs, vinca (which is everywhere now) and ribbon plants, which are, at this point contained. They would take over the whole yard if they could, with the mint and strawberries.
The year my dad passed, we got a big load of plant mix and had a decent small garden on the north side of the yard. The tomatoes were great, the sunflowers were tall. We haven't been able to grow tomatoes in years now, since the deer eat them all up and besides, the plant mix is depleted. We won't be getting more. Last year, I tried to grow a few things, and realized nothing was working since the groundhog eats whatever he/she likes, and invites the relatives. I guess they do not like asparagus, since I can harvest that without any problem.
The peonies are getting tall. They will be in bloom before we move, so that's cool. I simply love peonies. I will miss the lilacs I've babied for 3 years. They just finally got blossoms this year. I will miss the redbud from our friends, but there will be others. I might miss the few bulbs that bloom here, the lilies of the valley, the bee balm, but they can all be moved if I want.
I will miss  the violets the most, with their 6 shades of pink and purple and their sweet fragrance, right under my window every April. I can pot some of those, too, and bring them along.
Gene planted male and female hollies many years ago. The male died. Our hosta can come along too, and maybe not be nibbled to death.
But it is the quiet and the privacy that I really love about my back yard. Not one resident, if you count the 5 people around our back yard, spends time outside, if they live there at all. I can sit back there with my coffee and it's all mine to take in, jammies and all. That is also the flipside-- no neighbor friends. The folks who moved in across the street are all to themselves, each one of the 4 families who moved in. We have just one that is friendly and we see from time-to-time. What a lonely street.
I will not miss our garage, which I've hoped would get destroyed in a storm, while the dead tree falls on it. I will not miss the stuff we have no room to put away into the tiny, no-door garage. I will not miss the gutters that back up in the winter and drip in the rain into a bucket. I won't miss all the thistle, the bumpy lawn, the crummy driveway, the awful side porch.
I won't miss feeling bad about all the improvements I could not make, due to time, strength or money. I am letting it go.

Moving Right Along

I told Gene I drink my Pepsi like a whiskey drinker. I do, but with ice and a big glass. He laughed.

He cooked me a steak for dinner. I "rarely" (get it?) have red meat, but I wanted some tonight.

Lots of my neck ache left me about 5 am or so when I finally started to cry about having to move. I needed to cry. I put too much pressure on myself, and blamed myself for "losing" the house. I am not actually losing it yet, because we chose to sell it before we lose it. We've had dreams of moving before, but always hoped it would involve some choices and improvements, which it still might.
I can tell you this though-- it is exhausting, this giant addition to my calendar. Whereas I could kick back and watch soaps and eat bon-bons with my free time, (AS IF) now I will be taping clear tape on cardboard and finding the Sharpie.
There are lots of things we will not miss about this house. The things we will miss will not be apparent until we move. There is no turning back at this point, and that is fine.