Ruminations

Time... is it on our side, or does it keep on slippin' (slippin' slippin') into the future?

Selling furniture...
     or dolls...
          or books...
               or tools...
                    or clothing...
                         or what-have-you...

is both exhilarating and a bit depressing.  

We know we have to do it, this downsizing thing.  We enjoy the freedom our lives will have when we pack up a little 5 x 8 shipping container.  We like the idea of "starting fresh" when we get there.  I'm a little scared to leave my "comfort zone" of stuff.

My birthday is in three weeks.  I'm hoping to have one last get-together with the friends I've made here.  I know how people are; I'm not expecting a big turn-out.

I bought ingredients for cheesecake and ice cream, to make from scratch, here.  I need to go ahead and do that now, now that the weather is sweltering AND my birthday is in three weeks.

Damn.  Sure feels like the latter.  Do I sound depressed?  Sorry about that - I watched "Les Miserables" this evening, and I think I'm trying to process its appeal.  SPOILER ALERT - Every Damn Body dies!  And even though Javert redeems himself, he doesn't get to sing the big "we're so happy we're dead" finale!  Whaddup wid dat?

Accomplishment Monday

We got up fairly early today (7-ish) because we've both realized that the trip across the country needs to be made up of LONG days that start early-ish and end late-ish, since we'll have two cats in the car and be driving in warm temperatures and the chances of cat-friendly hotels being available are slim-to-none.

I was really out of bed at that hour because my sunburn still hurts when I adjust or put any pressure on it or stretch the skin in any way.  I figured I'd get a nap later if need be.  Stephen was up because of the reason mentioned in the first paragraph.  The cats were up because they're cats.

So I had a package to ship out, and my mailman to catch, and I was really hoping that the balance-transfer card would have come in to process, so I started on all of those things.  Stephen decided that since we'd be out in the world together anyway to grocery-shop on his day off, that we should also maybe catch Spiderman 2.  I'm not one to want to spend money "frivolously," particularly when we're trying to save every dime for the trip, but he only had to convince about 5% of my psyche that we had earned that particular kind of "break."

Caught the mailman; shipped out the bear; activated the new card; twisted my own arm a little (ow, ow, ow) and off we went.  I wanted to catch the noon show so we could be "done" with our day in time to meet the potential buyer of his dresser, whom we'd met in person at the flea market but who wasn't ready to buy until today.

Came out of the flick (pretty good, if you're a Spidey or Marvel or comic or superhero or Andrew Garfield fan; too many "endings" though) to a voice message from the buyer - can she come tomorrow?  Sure - that gives us time to get the shopping done without having to "rush" home.  Got home to a FB message from a different buyer regarding the same dresser, as well as a message from an ebay buyer regarding a Barbie already received.  Sorted out what we could possibly sort out (I just don't understand how folks can buy something on ebay without looking at every. single. picture. and asking any questions they might have before they buy something that I, as a seller, have already said I know NOTHING about, i.e. I don't know if she's a mismatch or what, but I also cannot accept returns).

Watched a little tv.  Have plenty of food in the fridge and freezer and pantry, including ingredients for treats, like coconut cheesecake and chocolate chip ice cream.  We've got five weeks? or so to enjoy the stuff we're not selling before we pack it up to ship it.  I'm gonna enjoy the hell outta it!  It was a good day.

Closed the shop, sold the house, bought a ticket to the West Coast...

... well, not quite but those are rather similar steps to the path we're on.  This weekend, I closed my ebay shop so we could sell everything that was listed at the flea market.  Eh, we didn't quite sell "everything" but I've got stuff re-listed for just a few days at a time, and I've got a lady coming mid-week to check out the dolls and possibly some furniture, and we may have sold the last dresser (at the flea market but the deal will happen here tomorrow?) AND one of the items that was previously listed is now definitely going to sell, because there's a bid on it!  Woo Hoo!

Don't quite have a house to sell, per se.  Have approximately a house's worth of stuff to sell, and have been doing so for quite some time now.  Slowly but surely, this place is starting to feel more spacious.

Have utilized two free credit-reporting websites to build my own personal credit rating and have freed up a big chunk for the move, as well as ordering a replacement cover for my Sleep Number bed, to be delivered to a friend in California before we arrive.  The "ticket" has been bought, so to speak!  (Or, for those in the know, "that pasta's been purchased.")

In FIVE weeks, we will be in Florida, visiting with Daddy.  We'll take a couple days out of that visit to catch up with some relocated- and retired- Cali friends.  Then, in a little over SIX weeks (from today), we'll celebrate Stephen's Mum's BIG SEVEN-OH for a couple of days and then

HEAD

HOME

to

LOS ANGELES

where we'll be "forever," as of July 1st.

No stand-up routines in our foreseeable future, though. ;)

Yes, I am a moron

We got up at Dawn's Tramp Stamp again today (5 a.m., which is well before but leading to her "Crack") to do the flea market thing.  Van was loaded already, and getting up at that hour gave me time to load my car, eat breakfast, feed the kitties, and head out the door.

We'd had some rain yesterday, so it was cool this morning, but because of the load-in, I figured I'd be warm enough by the time the sun joined us, so I was wearing strappy tanks and shorts, in an attempt to even up the farmer's tan I'd gotten last weekend.  I planned our location to be such that the sun would be behind us, rather than in our eyes, and we set up for business.

Because the day was overcast for most of the time we were out there, there weren't the crowds we'd seen last Saturday.  We got the tables set up and made our first sale before we were officially "open" again, but there was significantly less traffic, due primarily to the threat of more rain, we assumed.  Also because the skies were overcast, I stayed bundled in a blanket for about an hour or two to warm my chill.

Then the sun peeked out occasionally; we had customers; I unbundled myself.  We left by 2 p.m. after a "decent" day of sales but nothing spectacular.

We got home, and I discovered THIS:

Took care of that farmer's tan!

Remind me to weigh myself in the morning

I know, I know... I can hear Mommy, too.  "Don't forget to weigh yourself in the morning!"

The past couple of weeks have brought significant changes to my life.  Namely, warmer weather and increased activity.  Not to mention a new habit of consuming more water.  I still can't stand plain, flat, still, unflavored or unbubbly water, but I have an electrolyte powder that I add at a ratio of ~1/4 serving size, so I get SOME flavor (ruby red, yummmm), not a lot of sugar, and added vitamins and minerals, and I'm able to consume about 2 quarts of that each day.  That's an increase of about two quarts of water per day from before I started the habit.

I want to weigh myself (IN THE MORNING) because I really feel like I am probably down from my "ugly number" weight, which has also been called "winter" weight and "unemployed-and-bored" weight.  I don't tend to sweat (I think I've told you this before) unless I am really exerting myself and/or the climate is ungodly hot/humid.  I've spent the better part of the last couple of weeks lugging heavy things down the stairs and up into a step-van for flea marketing, rearranging furniture in the house and then vacuuming the empty spaces, and walking my ebay packages to the post office 1.5 miles away, all in hot and humid weather.  So I've been sweatin' like a mo-fo.

Today, after I helped my buyer get her "new-for-her" chest freezer down my stairs and into her vehicle, I did a little rearranging and vacuuming, of course.  Then I walked to the post office with two more packages.  I had a nice, big water bottle with me, as well, and walking TO the post, I had a good headwind.  Coming back, while waiting for a light to change, I had a conversation with the ladies in the vehicle sitting there.

"You working out?  You look good!"  "Oh, thank you, no, just walking."  (Thumbs up in both directions.)

As I crossed through the light, I realized that anyone who is walking 3 mph or better AND carrying a water bottle is "working out."  So, I guess, yeah.  I'm working out.  And thinking, "Gonna get home and blog and hope that y'all will remind me to weigh myself IN THE MORNING."

Let It Go

... is such a beautiful feeling.

We're selling; we're packing; we're job-hunting and apartment-hunting; we're resolving "credit" issues we used to have; we're making plans to GET HOME.  Every week that passes brings another milestone or five.  Every milestone is built of "hurdle-sized" rocks that we can't just stroll along beside, rather we must "overcome."

Some milestone hurdles must be discussed to the nth degree to determine the best way to overcome.  Some must be brought to the foreground, looked at, and then released to the gears and the stars and God and Fortune and whatnot.

Have overcome several milestones this week (in fact, just now resolved a big one).  Now, all that's left to be done long-distance is securing housing.  Easy peasy.  I am so blessed to be in a position to Let It All Go.

***I was going to link a short video of my great-niece singing the song from the movie, but I am unable to download said video from FB, and I haven't exactly gotten permission from her mother to do so... but that was going to be one of those "ask forgiveness" (or take it down) situations, anyway. ;)  Maybe said niece will link said great-niece here herself!

Zoey Sings "Let It Go"

Welcome BACK, Serbia and Malaysia!

When I first started blogging in December of 2013, my biggest non-US readership was Malaysia.  I couldn't ever figure that one out, and slowly but surely, I had no more readers in Malaysia for about three months.  I think my Serbia reader(s?) visited for a couple weeks, maybe, and then went away again, and they're back as well!  Plus, I got Indonesia and Israel and New Zealand reading me this week.  I've managed to hold onto whomever's reading me in Germany and Australia and the UK and the Netherlands, so I don't "shout-out" those folks often, if at all.  And obviously, since I and my family are in the US, I should always have readers here.  But it's always an interesting thing to me to see folks around the globe visiting me, especially if I see a particular location listed as "now" and can see which posts were read.  Anyway, WELCOME, all!

Today, I had an opportunity to "hoof it" to the post office to ship an item.  It's a fairly warm day, but as they say, "it's not the heat; it's the humidity," so once I returned, I could have been described as a "hot mess."  I don't normally sweat - I'm just not built that way, I guess - unless it's unbearably hot or humid or I've really exerted myself.  So today: blech.  But my package weighed less than a pound, so it was pretty easy for me to get my pace back up, almost to 3.5 mph (that was my "norm" back home in my walkable neighborhood in California).  I'm pretty pleased.

AND, I got some more Flea Market stuff reorganized.  And, I'm in the middle of some laundry, and a crock-pot dinner prep.  So I've been sufficiently productive today, and a friend from back home reached out via text, so I'm pretty grateful for just, you know, everything today.

*****

Happy Birthday, Grandma Mason, and to my other "surrogate" Grandma Edna, as well.  I hope you're both resting peacefully, or at least playing together, something fun.