Rain, Rain Go Away! - #33

 We have had a lot of rain.

But you will always hear someone say "Well - we needed it". I think we've probably had more than enough for a while.

It can be a bit depressing when you don't see the sun for days on end. The ground becomes saturated, you feel that constant uncomfortable dampness in the air.  When the sun finally breaks through and lights up our landscape, it's like greeting an old friend "Where've you been?!!"

Through the raindrops, I managed to catch up on my chores and enjoy my days.  

Over the weekend, I found a break in the weather to wash the camper -  finally getting rid of the last vestiges of cicadas, smashed into the trailer when driving through Maryland as well as the dirt and grime from our accumulated road trips. It could use a good waxing and hopefully we'll get to it before we leave for Texas. 

We will be setting out on another camping adventure next Sunday for a week at Pinewood Lodge in Plymouth. We have stayed many times. It is a great campground and gives us the opportunity to see a lot of friends while we are down that way - not to mention a visit to the vet for Minnie, haircuts for Charlie and me and probably a visit to the cemetery. Plymouth is like going home again; I have so much personal history here and where I have lived most of my life.

Despite the erratic weather, I was out walking as much as I could.  I carried an umbrella - needed it part of the time; it just felt good to be on the move and be outside.  I caught up on weeding the gardens. Our hydrangea are fully in bloom - big puff balls of purplish-blue beauty - my favorite flower! 

The construction for the new addition is going great and really getting exciting.  The electrical wiring started yesterday. I think the biggest impact will occur when the siding is installed and instantly and  seamlessly the new structure becomes part of the original house. There will be a lot of moving around and reconfiguring the existing rooms inside the house once that new room is available for the family. They will really enjoy it and be able to spread out more.

We also will be making a change in our space with the addition of cutting a new window in our backyard entryway area. Because the upstairs existing dining room window will be taken out and replaced by French Doors, I realized we could use that window for a little more light.  It will look out over our corner garden area and patio and will provide a really nice view!  I'm just waiting for the cost from the builder.

I resumed my Thursday Scrabble game and also plan to get back to my Still Life Drawing class on Wednesdays - although last Wednesday I opted out to attend a Historical Hike in Lessa Park. Charlie joined me and we followed it with lunch out at Zachary's. Yesterday, I enjoyed a solitary stroll through IKEA and got some great ideas for storage that I can crochet. Needless to say, I could hardly wait to try my hand at those, using up lots of leftover yarn I have on hand.

It's now a little later into the week and I have been busy working with Brooke on cleaning up and reorganizing the garage.  I am deferring to what she wants (well - it is her house) and doing as much as I can with her direction to get the job done.

I cleaned the inside of the camper and today I will start packing with clothes. 

I am enjoying my leisurely pace and still feel quite accomplished. Next week should be a fun week. We'll hopefully get to try out our new screened room, enjoy the outdoors and catch up with our friends!

Back To Reality - #32

Remember the good old days - when flying was an exciting "experience"? Travelers dressed in their Sunday best, meals were served with silverware, dining menus were provided with restaurant style options, magazines, slippers and personal amenities were offered...  Flying now is still an experience, just of the more stressful kind.  Do you have your mask, did you check to see what type of Covid test you need to gain admittance to your plane, do you need a vaccine card, have you sanitized, you can't bring that bottle of water over 3.4 oz.... It certainly can be a little disconcerting to see groups of people walking around the airport terminal not only wearing masks and shields but hazmat suits as well. (Do they know something we don't?)  Between terrorism and germs - staying home seems like a pretty good choice these days.  Still - as I think back over this past week traveling to and through parts of France - it was pretty wonderful! 

 

France is a beautiful country! Through my daughter Holly, I have had the opportunity to visit many different areas as she relocates her way around France. This visit took us to Cepoy and Montargis - two charming villages about an hour and half, south and slightly east of  Paris.  Holly and Greg have a lovely home here! Brooke and I enjoyed walking into the village center to pick up freshly baked pastries and just taking in the quaintness of the village itself. Gardens, architecture, wildflowers and a waterway greeted us at every turn; we were in awe! 

                                                                Cepoy

 

 

In Holly and Greg's garden

                                                               Montargis

Five days is a whirlwind for any international trip so our time was carefully planned; we were very fortunate the weather cooperated and was a perfect 72 degrees our whole time there! 

We visited the Chateau Versailles and the magnificent gardens! That was a full day adventure!

We returned to Paris the day prior to flying home to be closer to the airport and to have a day to see Holly's tiny Paris apartment in the gorgeous building she resides when working her long hours at La Tour d'Argent as their new Chef Sommelier Adjoint!  We did a lot of walking -  visiting her restaurant, sitting by the Seine eating our lunch, relaxing at the Jardin de Luxembourg, dinner at a wonderful French bistro (Le Bon George) and last but not least, viewing the iconic Eiffel Tower at night, lit up and all a glitter!

                                    Holly's Paris Apartment

                                               La Tour d'Argent

                                            

                                     Lunch by the Seine

                                     

Jardin de Luxembourg

And now we are home, adjusting to our regular time zone, slowly getting the house back in order and getting reacquainted with our normal pace and basking in the memories of a wonderful trip!

Preparing For Our Extended Trip/Things To Think About And Do - #31

 Why is it that summer seems to go by faster than any of the other seasons? Tomorrow is July 4th, a celebration that represents all things great about our country but also a marked date that prompts us to counting the weeks and days we have left to enjoy our beautiful, warm weather -like a miser counting his pennies.

For us, it also means we are less than 90 days away from leaving on our major road trip. We still have camping plans and reservations yet to enjoy this summer in our area  - lots to do, people to see - but getting ready for extended time away from home - October through April - requires a lot of thought and prep.

We are often asked questions on what we will do about certain responsibilities while away- home, bills, mail? There are actually services that can take care of all of these needs - however - we are in a unique living arrangement. One of the attractions of moving and building an in-law apartment with children is knowing how we wanted to live; we wanted the flexibility of being able to go off - without the worries/responsibilities of a house. We love puttering around the property - gardening, cleaning, and being as helpful as possible - when we are here but not having to worry about security, or mowing or snow removal while we are gone - is a big deal!  Our mail - such as it is (mostly junk) will still come to the house and if there is anything important, my daughter will let us know. We also have very few bills; our insurances (vehicle, home, medical, and LTC)  I pay in full annually. Anything else - phone, utilities, etc... are all covered and included in a monthly payment to our family. We have really simplified our lives! Anything I do need to pay - like credit card bills - I pay right on line. Easy-peasy! 

I am also a list maker.  I have little pieces of papers, notes on my phone, emails and texts I send myself. Whether it's an idea I have, something I want to check into or maybe consider buying - once I write it down, I can stop thinking about it at that moment and move on.

Today I accomplished a few things on one of my paper lists; I needed to renew several of our vehicles and my drivers license since we will be away during the time they all expire. Done!

Another item on my list is arranging to have our prescriptions available while wintering in Texas. There is a CVS pharmacy right in Bandera; my script is with CVS; I will have to get Charlie's scripts changed over from Walgreens since there aren't any in the area.  

We are excited about the new screened room we finally received; it was on backorder from LL Bean for a few months. We will get to try it out on one of our summer outings.

As we get closer to October, I will be going through my kitchen and taking small appliances and things I will want to use.  For Charlie - taking his keyboard is essential.  I feel confident we will have enough room for everything.

I am still pondering our actual travel to Texas.  I have a plan mapped out; just wondering if we will need to include additional stops or change the course altogether.  This is a biggie.