Creating an office space

When I woke up, the thermometer at the head of my bed read 54 F. My first thought was that I left a window open yesterday and a cold front came through, so I went looking for a window to close. But it turned out that when I closed the windows, I forgot to turn the heat back on. Still, 54 seemed kind of low. I remembered seeing another thermometer in the garage. So I brought it up and put it on the bed. Then I fixed breakfast and read my e-mail. Deb told me about ruler folding and I had to try it. I only folded one piece, but it is enough to remind me later to try a whole stack. She says it makes the fabrics take up less room.
My project for the day was to clear all the boxes and 'stuff' on the desk and make it into an office area. There was another box of office supplies in the computer room. So I brought it out to the family room. Then I went through what felt like hundreds of pens, pencils and markers. The pencils were put into one container. Then I tested each pen and marker to weed out the dried up ones. I took a break at 1 to rake in the front yard. The raked part looked so good that I did THREE boxes of leaves instead of the usual two. However, I have to wonder if it would look as good if there were no un-raked part to compare it with. But no, I don't need any reasons to leave the job unfinished. After raking, I made a salad and added some fresh chickweed. It is nutritious and rumored to be good for weight loss. Then I found and tested more pens. I laid everything out in groupings then assigned them to drawers. I split things like pens, paper clips, and glue sticks into two sets, one for here and one for the computer desk area. Some things, like small pads of notepaper were split with the donate pile because there were so many. And the name-address labels got pitched. They ought to be good for something, but what? Chris came home around 5. He ate supper but I wasn't hungry. Kurt and I skyped for a bit, and then it was Castle time. Since we were up so late yesterday, we quit a little early tonight.

After the unpacking comes the rearranging

I can't name specifically what all I did today, but it took me all day to do it. I raked two boxes of leaves between 2 and 3. Then I had a big salad for lunch. I remember moving big boxes of donation stuff from the front hall, down the basement steps, and into the garage. I rooted around looking for just the right fabric to cover a large peanut can to prop a mirror on. But when I had covered the can and propped the mirror, it was too low. So I used an upturned decorative wastebasket. The height was better, but the propping was all wrong. It needed hanging. So I went looking for the stud finder. I went through all the tools, even placing them in drawers to make them easier to go through next time. But it wasn't until William called that I found it. It was in with the office supplies. Still, I had trouble finding the studs, and the mirror is so heavy that it takes a special kind of hanger, so I decided hanging could wait. I rearranged some boxes and materials in the sewing room to give my bolts of metallics the space they need. I carried a corner shelving unit up to the front porch, and in the front door, into the dining room. Then I was going through a box of old books and papers when Chris came home. We had leftovers for supper. Then we watched episodes of Castle for the rest of the evening. Are we the most boring couple in America, or what?
* I didn't take any pics today, so here is one of our first house in Augusta, as taken last weekend. AKA the little blue house *

Another nice, sunny day

We got up too late for church. I won't say why. After breakfast and e-mail, I cleared some space on my sewing table. I cut some more purple squares to finish the quilt top I was working on yesterday. I also found another large, clear plastic bag to add to the stairwell. Still not quite enough. I went outside to rake leaves for awhile. Using a rake seems like the slowest way to get up the leaves. So I have to keep reminding myself that my biggest reason to be out there is to produce vitamin D in the sun. I heard the guy next door using his table saw, so I set up mine, and cut a shelf to replace a missing one to a bookcase in the computer room. It was enough to handle all the math books I unpacked last week. Then I sat outside to eat my salad. I vacuumed the basement window over the couch and pinned bubble wrap to the ceiling tiles over the window. I figured out how to play a VCR tape in the camcorder by powering it with its battery charger - I can watch it,but the picture is staticy. Next project is to see if it can be hooked up to the TV. I asked Chris to bring up the blue runner and we laid it in hall. Chris made chicken soup for supper. I went back to the sewing room to iron some curtains before packing them away. I 'bubble-wrapped' the other basement window. Then Chris came down to watch Castle episodes. We quit at 10:30. Now I need to find a picture to go with this post.
* Here are the blooming crocuses *

Sewing at UAH, Morton Hall

First, a posting for yesterday, Saturday Jan 28th. I showered, ate breakfast, skimmed e-mail, and packed sewing supplies. Then I headed out to UAH. When it seemed I must have driven right by the entrance, I pulled off the road and called Deb who is the leader of the quilting group. She gave me an idea of what the entrance looked like, and then I was able to find it. She had moved to another room than originally intended because of the windows. This one had three and I set up my equipment in the sunniest one. There were only two people when I arrived. Later another lady came and one left. So there were never more than three. But still we had a good time sewing. I worked on the charity quilt tops from the box Deb had given me in November. I finished one and the other lady took it home to quilt. I almost finished the other one, but ran out of purple squares. By then it was after 4, so we all packed up and prepared to leave. I followed Deb as far at Thrift Mart. I was looking for a VCR. But their electronics room was severely depleted. So I went home. I had some leftover chicken for supper, and then we went down to watch episodes of Castle, season 1. After the first DVD, Chris asked if I wanted to watch one more because it was only 10. Well, we ended up watching all the episodes on the DVD. It was after midnight and I was exhausted. I fell asleep on the couch. Chris made the bed, then helped me to bed where I fell asleep again. Pic to follow.

The boxes are done, sort of.

Today was cool but sunny. My accomplishments include organizing a display in the china cabinet, rooting through every last box in the tornado room, removing all puzzles and games on the big bookcase to make room for the quilting and sewing books and magazines. I put the games and puzzles in Michele's old toybox. Having unpacked (or at least opened) all the boxes, but still not finding the legs to my plastic shelving unit, I cut open brown paper packages. I found several folding chairs, two tennis rackets, a shelf, and a kite. One of the rackets was warped. Should have been in a box. And one package was a pile of shelving legs. Yea! I set up a three shelf unit under the window in the computer room. Now I have two shelves left. Hmmm. I made room between the big bookshelf and the door for the filing cabinet. Sliding it on paper, I was able to move it from one side of the bookcase to the other. The only time I was forced to lay down was when I lifted a box of books off of the rocking chair so I could push it out of the way. I also hung several sheets of plastic along the stairway to keep the heat in place. And I moved the HUGE pile of empty boxes to the garage. After supper I watched a movie called "Far from Home". Chris did not watch it with me. After it was over, I got all the exercise tapes together and weeded out about half. Then I tried to find a binding fabric for one of my quilts to work on tomorrow at the sew-in, but could not find something that went with both the top and the backing. So I pulled out a project I was working on in the apt, and packed up my machine and notions so they are ready to go. Then I re-checked the route so I won't get lost tomorrow. Now all I have to do is get some rest.

Rain, but no flooding

I woke up to a dreary, rainy day. Not too cold, though. I brought up the plants from the garage and set them by the sink. Chris left the bread machine open, which reminded me to make another loaf. Then I fixed my breakfast and ate it in front of the computer. I listened to a really neat BWE mp3. Then I installed curtain rods in the computer room and made a set of curtains to fit. I put Grandma's sewing stuff back in her cabinet. Kurt asked for a pic of her bracelet, and it is the only pic I took today, so here it is. I can't wear it because I don't know how the clasp works. I dealt with several piles in my sewing room. Then I emptied the 4 boxes of VHS tapes onto the shelves Bob brought. It filled up the one and the top shelf of the other. I opened more boxes. Many contained quilting books and magazines. I rearranged the stuff on the bookcase to fit them in, but in the end there were too many. I think they all came from that bookcase, so if they don't fit, it must be because there are items on the bookcase that don't belong there, like games and puzzles. I also found boxes of sheet music. I had no idea there were so many. I will have to winnow down both the music and the quilting book piles. I found some of Michele's books and drawings, and little objets d'art. I went through that, too. I left the boxes of Chris' books and t-shirts. I re-checked the Christmas boxes to make sure there were no other items in there. I REALLY wanted to find another VCR. I even checked the tornado room again after I cleared enough space around the door. I found Michele's easter basket in there. I also came across some computer games she and I used to play together. I'l like to play them again, but they are Windows 95 games. And it wouldn't be the same without her.
In spite of my constant checking, the basement did not flood. No water came in at all. It is a little disappointing because I want to put everything back where it was and now have to leave it out until the next flood so Bob can see it, and do whatever he has to do.
Chris came home and we had leftovers for supper. Then we watched "The Medallion" with Jackie Chan. Chris was tired so he went to bed right after. I checked for water one more time, and might as well go to bed, too. Still raining.

What an extrordinary day!

I awoke a little early, or just did not doze as long as usual. I took a shower and fixed breakfast. I read a little e-mail. Then I started unpacking. I don't remember which room I was in when I heard someone outside. It was Cindi from two days ago. She came with her van (and two dogs) to pick up some boxes, and almost everything on the donate pile. She brought me plants: an aloe, peace plant, cactus, and spider plant. We walked around the backyard enjoying the unidentified flowers that are springing up. A few yellow crocuses were blooming in the garden. After she left, I unpacked book boxes in the basement. Bob came by with his helper. They put up sheets of OSB to protect the foundation from rain. They also laid down towels in the basement to soak up any water that gets through. I told him that I wanted to build a bookcase but did not have a vehicle large enough to bring home a 4x8 sheet of plywood. He said he could get me one next time he came by. Little did I know he would come by later today as I was sitting outside to eat lunch. He was pulling a trailer behind his truck. He said they were demolishing a kitchen and he had shelving and cabinets to throw away. Did I want them, he asked? Oh yes. I was very happy. He and his helper brought in the shelves, and put the cabinets and formica top in the carport. Oh yes, what a wonderful day! I was practically dancing in my bare feet. Additional shelving! For free! Ok, so he had to leave. I think I unpacked another box or two in the basement. I found 4 boxes of VCR tapes - in addition to all the ones I unpacked before! And I found boxes of quilting magazines - more than I remember having! I took a break outside to do some raking. I found a 'path' around the flowerbed. I cleared it, and started lining it with leftover bricks to border the bed. Then Chris came home. After he changed his clothes, he unpacked the boxes in his closet. One had quilting magazines in it, which he took downstairs for me. In the other one, I removed a pot of artificial flowers. Under that was an assortment of sewing supplies. There was a bracelet box with a thin strip of tying paper proclaiming "My Charm Bracelet". On the bracelet inside were 4 head silhouettes with names and birthdays on the back. There was a bride and groom charm, an accordion, and a Boston Terrier. It had to be my grandmothers bracelet. I wondered at first how it could show up here, now, when I had never seen it before. Then I realized that it must have been in her sewing cabinet and the packers dumped all the contents in a box three years ago. I don't know why, but it made me cry when I saw it. Chris gave me a big hug. Then we ate leftover chicken, and went downstairs to watch our lastest Netflix arrival - Captain Correli's Mandolin. It was pretty good, though kind of sad. It wasn't late, so we went upstairs to watch an episode of BBT on the CBS website. Now it is almost 11 and time to retire. The wind is blowing and there is a flash flood watch in effect. I wonder what I will wake up to in the morning.

It was a warm and sunny day...

...when I got up. Well, not so warm at first, but it warmed up nicely by afternoon. I installed a coat hook in the closet downstairs. Had the darnedest time finding a flat-head screwdriver. Finally used the driver with a drill bit. I could not get the screws in far enough, so changed them out for shorter screws. I also assembled an end table in the den. The driver came with just the right insert for that - a square one. I opened the windows and turned off the heat. I emptied another box in the den, and several in the tornado room. I could not get the boxes out of the room because the door is blocked by other boxes, so I had to carry a few items out at a time. One box marked "X-mas" had no Christmas items in it. Another marked 'glassware' had no glassware in it. I arranged some glasses and glass plates in the china cabinet. I took a break to rake some of the front lawn, and then ate a salad. I did some more unpacking. I found the first quilt I made for Michele. It was wrapped around a doll with a broken head. I am airing it out and will have to wash it. Now I think all of the 'fun' boxes are empty. As far as I can see, only book boxes are left. But I am missing some glasses from sets, so there must be another box of that, or they are in with the books. I opened a box of Michele's old clothes. Some of them might fit me. Others are too small, even for her. I think her tastes will change by the time she graduates so she won't want them anymore. Chris made soup for supper. Then we watched the rest of season 2 of Castle. Soon we'll be in bed. Tomorrow is another day. It's kind of like "Groundhog Day".
* I have been meaning to mention that Trish had a book called "Once-a-month Cooking". I was impressed that she shops one evening after work, does some prep work on the next evening, and then spends 6 hours on Saturday cooking, and packing and labeling meal-size freezer containers. And then she's done until next month. She says it saves money as well as time. And if she needs a dish for church, all she has to do is thaw and reheat something already cooked. *

It was dark and stormy night...

It may sound like a cliche detective novel, but it was true. It was so stormy that the tornado sirens were blowing. We did not know then what they were. It was scary and would have been even scarier hearing such a sound in Korea. The next morning was warm and sunny, like nature was making up for the previous night. Bob called in the morning to ask about water in the basement. I hadn't checked because I thought we had mostly wind. But when I did, there it was; water. He came over with towels and we cleaned it up. Kurt called as we were cleaning. He is thinking of taking a train to visit. He wanted to know how close we are to Atlanta and to Louisiana. Then I went back down. Bob had finished and he left. But I discovered that a little more water was coming into the closet, so I put down some towels. It was a beautiful day. I opened some windows. I ate my salad outside, then raked leaves in my barefeet. I spent the afternoon unpacking glassware. Most of the boxes were in the basement, so I would fill the laundry basket, then carry it up and place the items on the table by color. Some of the blue and red pieces went up in the kitchen. They are for decorating, but I have too many. Some will go back in a box, but they will be organized, and pairs and sets will be wrapped together. I made significant space in the den. Chris came home and started chicken and rice. A lady came over for boxes. But she already had some boxes in her car. I think she only took one. But upon seeing the donation pile, she went to town. She couldn't get as much in as she wanted so she is coming back tomorrow. After that, I cleaned up all the paper from the unpacking. I quit for supper. Chris made very tasty chicken. We also had some salad. MaryAnn and I skyped for a bit, and then Chris and I watched episodes of Castle in the basement. I was so tired after the fourth one, that Chris carried me to bed (no blog).

The tournament and ladies night out

At the end of my last entry, I was blogging after going out with Trish to take her daughter to and from soccer practice. Trish was feeling sick and went to bed. Silvia called to invite me to meet the gang at Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. So after writing my blog, I read through a bunch of e-mail. One of them had a survey which gave participants a chance to win a list of quilting-related prizes. So I took it. One of the questions asked for an estimate of the value of the items in my sewing room including fabric, notions, machines, etc. They asked specifically for replacement cost. Hmm, with all that fabric from Dongdaemun, replaced at state-side prices... I tried to estimate how many packages of fabric I had stored in the cabinets in the basement. I figured 20 packages per stack (too much?) which is 40 yards at $10/yard, then estimated stacks per cabinet. I had to call up a pic of the cabinets to do that. OMG, the estimate came to over $14,000. Could it be true? (I'll have to actually count next time I'm down there).
So anyway, while I was finishing the survey, Katie came to talk to me. Then Trish got up. She felt much better. She asked if they could go with me to Ruby Tuesdays, and I thought it was a great idea, especially since I wasn't sure if I could find my way there and back in an unfamiliar car. We left at 6, but made good time. Silvia and Linda were there when we arrived, and Mary came a little later. Most of us ordered the salad bar. We had a great time talking, as usual. Katie even enjoyed the adult conversation. Trish took her home after a few hours, and the rest of us went to see Mary's new house. It is literally new, just built. And so beautifully decorated. But she seems to think it is nothing special. She gave us the grand tour. Then Silvia took Linda home, and Mary took me back to Trish's place. It was a dark and foggy night. It was fun (NOT) trying to find the mailbox on Wrightsboro road. But we did. Kudos to Mary. Larry was still up and I got a big welcome(?) from their dogs, Frisky and Friendly. They are well named. Larry and I talked for a bit. He told me that Chris came in third for his section of the tournament. Woo-hoo! His son did well, too, winning for his division and making the other kids jealous. Finally after midnight, we went to bed, (separately, with our spouses). I slept well. I slept late. When we got up and took showers, Trish was cooking breakfast down stairs. She looked much better after yesterday's nap and getting a full night's sleep. She had cooked two soft-boiled eggs for me. I ate them and then while I brushed my teeth, she took Chris out to see the property. Then we packed the car and left for church. We thought we made it in time, but they moved the service to 10:30 and we arrived during the sermon. So, rather than interrupt, we walked around the building to see who else was around. We met Lynn, and Kip and his wife. Lynn caught me up on her side of the family. When the service let out, we went to see who else we could say hello to. Then we headed out for Alabama. It was rainy, but there wasn't much traffic. It all made for a long and boring trip. I was able to take a nap, but the seat wasn't very comfortable lying back. We got in before 5, central time. I started a loaf of bread in the bread machine. We went to Publix for groceries. Chris started laundry. Then we watched Tristan and Isolde, courtesy of Netflix. It was still early when the movie ended, so then we watched 3 episodes of Castle. Then it was late. Chris went to bed. I took the finished bread in the fridge. It did not rise like it should have. And now here is the blog entry to document it all. I hope I can sleep even though the wind is howling like a banshee. Scary.

Jeff succeeds where another has failed.

I packed a small suitcase the night before. In the morning, we took our showers, I had breakfast, and then packed a box with supplements and my breakfast foods. I also filled a water bottle for the trip. But when we packed the car, I forgot both, although I wouldn't realize it until much later.
We left just after 9, and then went back for my embroidery machine. But we made good time along the way and arrived in Augusta before 4. First we stopped at FGFCU, and then went to Jeff's sewing and vacuum. That is where I bought my embroidery machine. I explained the problem. He confirmed what the other technician said, that touch screens are very expensive. But then he plugged it in and tried something. I did not see what it was 'cause one of the ladies who works there recognized me and we chatted. But lo and behold, Jeff recalibrated the touchscreen. I was amazed. And grateful. What did he do that the other guy didn't? He was just more persistent, I guess. But he did tell me it wouldn't last. He showed me how to do it, but said it wouldn't work forever. He told me how the newer ones do so much more and are cheaper. I asked if they were any lighter, but he said no.
After he made my day, we went by our old house in Merrymont to see how it was doing. Then, to the Doubletree hotel where people were signing up for the tournament. We said hello to various gamers that we hadn't seen in years. Then Chris dropped me off at Silvia's house while he went to visit Neal and April. Silvia was preparing chicken for a dinner with the ladies. I was sorry to drop in early, but she was ok with it. We talked about old times and recent times. The other ladies came by and brought food too. When the chicken was ready, we sat down to eat. After supper, Mary brought a chocolate cake for Linda's birthday. she was surprised. We had a great time. Then we sat in the livingroom and continued to share our lives and experiences and opinions. Just after 10 Chris arrived. I thought he had been to see Trish (whom we were to stay with) but he couldn't get a hold of her. So he came to get me so we could drive over there, and not keep her up too late. That is when the ladies brought out presents for each other and me. Sadly for once I had nothing to give, except a box of Korean chocolates. I wish I had a pic of the group, but I did not think of it at the time. Then we went over to Trish's house, having a hard time finding it in the dark. But we did, and Larry was there by then, too. We all sat up talking until after 1 in the morning. We went to bed, too tired to blog. I slept well, but Larry knocked on the door at 6:30 in the morning to wake Chris. It was too early for me, so I went back to sleep after Chris left. It was after 8 when I got up and washed and dressed. I called Mary to see if we were all going yardsaling, but no one seemed up for it. Trish soft-boiled two eggs for me since I had left my breakfast at home. Trish gave me a tour of the house, yard and workshop. Then we went out to pick up Trish's prescription. Then we stopped at a yardsale in a garage. They had all kinds of christmas and fall decorations (and other stuff since they are selling their house and PCSing to Germany). I bought two curtain rods and a rake. Then we stopped at a Dollar store to pick up some white t-shirts. Then we went to the hotel to pick up Katie, her daughter, who had to be at soccer practice at 1. Trish had a terrible head ache and kept running to the bathroom to heave. Chris had some Aleve and that seemed to help her headache. I got to talk to Greg for a bit while Katie put on her soccer outfit. It had rained all morning, and was still raining off and on. I was pretty sure soccer would be canceled, but Katie really wanted to go. So we went looking for Augusta Soccer Park. Whoever built the place did not make it easy to find. The gate was locked, but then, we were 15 minutes early. Trish drove around looking for another entrance. Nope. But when we got back, the gate was unlocked. We found two coaches and three kids on the field. They were going to do their best to have as much soccer practice as they could. So we dropped off Katie and ran to Foodlion to pick up a few groceries. When we got out, it was raining hard, so we drove over to the field as fast as we could. She was in one of the cars with kids and a coach. With her in the back seat, we went to the gas station. Trish ate a few crackers and started to feel better. We went back to her place. Katie helped us bring in the groceries. Trish built a fire in the fireplace, and laid down on the couch. I got out my laptop to post to my blog.

I forgot...

...to add several things this week. Yesterday I meant to mention that the man from Knology came. He and his wife are both quilters. He likes to piece, and she likes to handquilt.
Also, I was sent a couple of great links to quilting sites: http://quiltsbykriswebber.shutterfly.com/
http://quiltville.com/scrapusersystem.shtml
and here is an amusing video series on life in Korea - www.eatyourkimchi.com

I should have smelled it coming

I am talking about the potpourri collection. Is there anything I didn't collect? Since Knology was supposed to pick up their cable equipment today, I worked upstairs so it would be easy to hear the doorbell. I washed the walls in the hall and bedroom. They were covered in polyurethane dust. I unpacked three boxes in the master bedroom. Then I went through 5 boxes in the guest room. It was mostly decorative glassware. Some of it went into the donation pile, the clear ones went into the diningroom, and the red and blue ones went back into a box for later. I also found tablecloths, napkins, and placemats in with the glassware. Some of the glass items had potpourri in them, but in other cases, the potpourri was wrapped separately, in paper. Weird.
I took a break at lunch to eat an egg. It was so sunny out that I decided to spend some time raking the lawn. We had bought a rake just for that purpose. It was going fine except for the raw spots developing on my hands. I filled a box twice and emptied it behind the carport. And then the rake broke. Brand new rake, too. Handle is fine, but the plastic top cracked.
Chris came home, we had leftovers for supper and then I vacuumed the main floor, got up some polyurethane dust and some monster dust bunnies. We went downstairs to watch episodes of Castle. We quit a little early to leave time to pack for our trip tomorrow. I've been putting it off as long as I can, but now it is time....
*This is the underside of the pic I posted yesterday. I got two responses to my plea for suggestions. Thanks, ladies. *

More boxes get unpacked

I had breakfast with e-mail as usual. I wanted to load some files onto the YQ Facebook page, but could not find a suitable place. Of course one of Chris' friends saw me on there and wanted to chat. At the same time, one of my friends texted me on skype. I did not unpack any new boxes yesterday, partly due to moving things out of the 'flood zone', and organizing the sewing area to clear the table. So I felt compelled to be particularly productive today. I was finally able to clear the table (yea!), but not the desk where I sew (boo). However, I did unpack a number of boxes in the area where I plan to put a side table by the sofa. Most of the stuff was yarn, which I had to separate into categories and bag accordingly. But there was more fabric in with the skeins. I needed another box just for them. (If I take it out of one box and put it in another box, does it count?) And then there was the rolling suitcase of American Girl Doll clothes. I went through those too, putting the shoes and socks in a tiny box, and lining up the outfits to fit into the doll box. There were more games, and puzzles. And, wonder of wonders, a cat litter box. Now where did that come from? We have never had a cat.
I thought about Chris being a founding member of Seige of Augusta. Probably back when it was only Fistfight of Augusta. Records are not clear, but it might have gone something like this:
"You wouldn't recognize a flank attack if you ran into it head on."
"Hey, take that back."
"No."
"Take it back or I'll make you take it back."
"Oh yeah? You and whose army?"
And with the answer to that question, Seige was born.
Ok, so unpacking can be boring. Gotta keep my mind occupied somehow. Someone said to me "Aren't you about finished?" Makes me laugh. Better than crying. No, I am nowhere near finishing. And anyway, that would imply that there is a end point. Ha, ha. Can't see it from here.
Chris came home late, but as usual I was still unpacking in the basement. I came up to have a bowl of bean soup, and then we went down to watch another DVD of episodes of Castle. It is pretty good. Now that it is after 11, Chris is off to bed, and I sit here writing. I did try to google prices of Pokemon cards. I found a notebook full of them and wonder if they are worth selling, or should I just Freecycle them.
* Here is a picture of the stairwell going down into the basement. It is a source of frustration for two reasons. One, the heat in the basement collects here instead of being down where we watch TV. Two, it is empty and I wish I could find a way to turn it into storage. Any ideas? *

Pearl's heyday is over

First thing this morning, I got up for breakfast and posted yesterday's blog entry. Sadly, there was no sun. Chris sent me an e-mail about hazardous weather on the way. I wondered what might happen in our basement if we got a lot of rain again. Bob did not actually fix anything. He just identified what needed to be done. So I went into the basement to move boxes and stuff away from places that got wet last time. Boxes that were too heavy to move got a plastic shelf shoved under them to get them off the floor. Then the phone rang. It was the repair man at Huntsville Sew and Vac called to say that the touchscreen on my embroidery machine had shifted so badly that he could not access the test screen. It would cost almost $600 just to replace the screen. It was bad news indeed. I bought that machine 15 years ago in Augusta. It was hard to justify the $3000 price tag, but I thought of it as my pearl of great price, the last sewing machine I would ever have to buy. And now, it is just a sewing machine, and only on the default stitch. Chris did the math and asked me if it was worth $200 a year. Well, I had to really think about that. $200 is a lot of money and that doesn't include all the dollars spent on special thread, stabilizers, bobbins, hoops, etc. It was supposed to last a lifetime. Silly me, I guess. Naive. My sewing-only machine cost $120 about 30 years ago. I use it more and it is a steal at $4 a year.
A older lady came by just after noon. She wanted to pick up some small boxes. She told me an incredible story about her son and his new wife and 4 teenage kids and their 4 dogs and 2 cats all moving in with her. I don't remember all the details, but I was thanking God that it wasn't happening to me. About 1:30 Bob stopped by to see if the basement was dry. Since it was hardly raining, it was. He seemed to think it was a sign that everything would be all right. After he left, I went to H S&V to pick up my machine. They did not charge me for checking it out. Nor did they try to sell me a new one. I did learn that there is some special way of accessing screens most users never see. I tried googling it, but did not learn anything useful. Maybe the dealership in Augusta will have a spare screen or know another trick to adjust the touch. We are heading that way on Friday for Seige of Augusta. Chris is borrowing someone's medieval Spanish army for the tournament.
I was ironing scraps to fit in a box when Chris came home. He warmed up pork for supper and fixed brown rice. He made himself a salad, but I ate mine with kimchi. It goes so well with pork. After supper we watched three episodes of "Castle" which Chris checked out of the library.
This time I am posting before I go to bed.

Finding new space

I was hoping for another sunny day, but it wasn't. Still, the weather was ok. In the morning I had breakfast with e-mail. Then I went downstairs to unpack more. I moved some small shelving units to expose a greater storage space with shelves under the stairs. It's a great idea, though I suppose it would only look good in a basement. I filled the first space. Then as I found more fabric, I added it to whichever pile it seemed to belong to. That creates the problem that the box of that particular fabric is no longer big enough, so I have to either find a bigger box, or find two boxes that fit the volume without lots of leftover space in the second one. Having two boxes is better for fitting on the shelf and for me being able to lift them. Around 1 I took a lunch break. MaryAnn Skyped me. I sat outside with my laptop enjoying the fresh air, until my battery showed REALLY low and I rushed back inside. When we were done talking, the unpacking recommenced. I filled one Nature Cook box with craft supplies, and needed another for the overflow. I had already 'rescued' all the Nature Cook boxes from the garage, so I went out to the carport. I found two that were dry but warped. The rest were wet on the bottom because water had flowed under the pile. There is a grating to stop that sort of thing, but apparently the water went around it. I set two boxes up to dry, hoping against hope that the cardboard may regain some of its strength and rigidity. I used one of the dry boxes, and then used Clexia boxes. They, too, are a nice size for fitting on my shelves and in the cubby holes under the stairs. Then it was supper time. Chris made bean soup and I had two bowls of it. We went down to watch "The Deep". I had never seen it, and did not read the back 'cause I did not want to spoil any part of it. It was very suspenseful and a little frustrating because the suspense scenes went longer then necessary. As usual, we sat huddled under two blankets to keep warm. The suspense left me tense, but since Chris had seen it before, he was more relaxed. In fact, it must have given him 'ideas'. He led me upstairs to bed after the movie. ...and the blog did not get written until morning.
* I forgot to mention that I spent WAY too much time downloading blocks and instructions for sewing projects from www.lynbrown.com. *

Found two bathroom curtain sets

We went to church this morning. I thought we went too early, but it turns out that my watch is 15 minutes off. We sat in the second pew on the right because I noticed last week that it was empty. There was a guest pastor. It seemed like we were handed two bulletins and had to page back and forth between the two. When we passed the peace, the man in the pew in front of us asked Chris if he were married to me, then told him how lucky he was. After church the man blew me a kiss as his wife(?) went to get his wheelchair. Maybe that is why no one sits there.
After church we went home, ignoring the GPS which showed us some funky route this morning. After lunch, Chris got the big boxes down from the top of the stacked dressers so I could check for missing or damaged items. In there I found two bathroom curtain sets. Which one do you like - the white (ignore the green) or the off-white with green trim? I also found my child pillowcase fabrics, and the fabric from Hongkong. I brought up two empty boxes from downstairs to fill with denim and all the rest. I sorted a box of small sewing items on my table. I had no idea there were so many needles, both hand and machine. I filled a bag with each. And machine feet... And rolls of ribbon... I am running out of space and I saw two boxes in the far corner of the den marked yarn. I keep telling myself I am blessed. So blessed to have so much. Time to share. After supper we watched "Howard the Duck". Amusing and dark. Then we went upstairs to read a bit of e-mail. Chris went to bed, but not because he has to get up early. Tomorrow is a holiday. Chris used my camera to take pics, so when I was ready to blog, I tried to download the pics we had taken to my laptop, but it would only show me old pics. So I switched to my desktop. It down loaded my pics fine, but there was no sign of the ones Chris took. And the computer wouldn't locate our internet signal. Now it has, but the connection keeps going on and off. My laptop had no trouble, so this is really weird.

A great day

I was thrilled to wake up and see the sun shining. As I ate breakfast, I sat in the streaming sunlight. It just felt good. I guess I sat there pretty long, first eating and then reading e-mail on my laptop. When the sun rose too high, we went on errands. First we dropped off my embroidery machine at Huntsville Sew and Vac to see if they could fix it. Then we went to post to return a DVD, and check our p.o. box. Finally we went to Publix as a reconnaissance mission. We bought some veggies and checked to see if they have our other favorite items, too. Then on the way home, we monitored the odometer to see if it was closer than Kroger. Nope. Too bad, it is a newer, cleaner, brighter store than Kroger. Chris disappeared into the basement. I was pleased to find that he was unpacking book boxes. I joined him down there. We got a lot done. Later I noticed a strange red light outside the window. A couple from Freecycle had come with a U-haul to get cardboard boxes and paper. Yea! Then another couple came. They only got a few boxes, but she went through the give-away pile and took a bunch of puzzles and things for crafting. Double yea! Then I went upstairs for supper. Chris had already had his. Then we watched Chicken Run on our DVD player. We have unpacked two VCR's: one was broken and the other one broke yesterday. So, do we get rid of all the VHS tapes, or hope one of the remaining boxes has another VCR in it? This cuts our viewing choices roughly in half, maybe more. Anyway, after watching the movie, and seeing the special menu features, I put the DVD in my laptop to see the games. Sadly, no. The dvd opens a window to a webpage that is no longer active. So, while Chris read a book, I read more e-mail. I read about desktop pets (one comes with the video). Seems they are virtual 'pets' that you can create, and then you have to feed them, walk them, or whatever is appropriate. When I read that you can watch them grow old, it really made me sad, even though I don't even have an IDEA for one, much less a created version begging me to play with it. Stupid, huh?

*This is the wall Bob took apart. He was supposed to come back today and finish the job*

Unpacking Michele's boxes

It was freezing outside when I woke up. That did not change over the course of the day. But the sun did come out for awhile. I might use my Happylight tomorrow to make up for all the sun I am missing. Today I did two loads of laundry: one was Bob's towels, so they would not mildew. The other was miscellaneous items that I found in boxes as I unpacked. Mostly I did boxes marked "Girl rm". I figured that they would be easiest. Stuff worth keeping would go back in the box and anything else gets trashed or donated. But I found non-girl stuff mixed in. One box had a whole bunch of pillowcases. Some of them were the missing ones to sets in the closet. One marked 'hangers' had a few hangers, plus clothes, knicknacks, jewelry, and shoes. One box was almost all American girl dolls and their clothes (and their horse). Then there was the Harry Potter legos and trains, L5R cards, and a binder of Pokemon cards. Bet they aren't worth anything now. I must have a collection of just about everything 'cause I found a box of unused picture frames, and empty baby food jars. Must have been for some craft I can't remember now.
Bob came over to fix the leak in the wall. I told him about the water in the closet. That really set him back. But finally he did remove the paneling and check the hole in the floor under it. Whatever he had sealed it with had cracked. So he borrowed a hairdryer and dried it out. He said he would come back tomorrow to seal it with something else. Chris came home early. Then after Bob left, I ate lunch and Chris ate supper and we watched "Around the world in 80 days", a Netflix DVD. It ended at 9. I spent some time matching pillow cases with their sheets, and then tried out the electric blankets I found. One did not work at all, and one only worked on one side. Chris helped me move the coffee table from the dining room to its proper place in the living room. I got an e-mail from someone looking for moving boxes. They would like to come tomorrow with a U-Haul. Yea!
And now I am retiring for the night. Thanks to Kurt, I can now listen to my sleep mp3 on my laptop with the lid closed.

Organizing my linen closet

The porch was wet again today. The temp dropped from 50 to 30 and by late afternoon it was snowing. I did not go out. Instead, I spent the morning grouping the towels in the linen closet. I added a free-standing shelf on the top shelf. You can just barely see it in this pic. That allowed me to put more blankets in. I did not find a set of guest towels, so I pulled out the two best ones and put them in the guest room. There were no matching washcloths either. That means there is another box of towels somewhere. I selected toppers for the computer room and put the rest downstairs in the 'curtain' box. I took a moment to load the dishes in the dishwasher, and to test the four timers I found. One did not ring so I threw it out. I arranged the others by how well they rang. I thought I heard someone talking on a cell phone. When I looked out the front door, there was a Fed-ex van and I saw a box on my porch. Why didn't she ring the bell? Then I ironed a bag of crumbled strips and neatly stacked them in a paper box. Since I had found another box of denim and corduroy, I had to separate them and box each by itself. Then I had to rearrange the boxes on the shelving units to accommodate the new box. I finally took a break for lunch, and started listening to a audio. Chris came home early and surprised me (by coming home early). He called Knology and had another chat. I went downstairs again to work. When he came down, he told me that he had canceled the phone and cable, and that they would be turned off at midnight. I considered watching all the cable I could until then, but figured it would be better not to know what I am missing (if anything). Then Chris called Michele on Skype. So we all had a wonderful chat. It was so good to hear her voice. Chris fixed himself a burrito. About 6:45, we had run out of things to say, so we hung up. I made a cup of tea while Chris went downstairs to turn the TV to BBT on CBS. I hurriedly put away the towels which were stacked on our bed. Then I joined him downstairs. After BBT, we watched half an episode of Bones, and then on TBS we saw 4 more episodes of BBT, all re-runs. At ten, we turned off the TV and headed upstairs for bed and blog. So much for cable. It was nice while it lasted, but certainly not worth the highly inflated price they are trying to charge us (as opposed to the slightly inflated price we signed up for). Maybe William can find us a digital box so we can watch the free channels.

Cat comes back

As I lay awake in bed last night, I imagined my morning going perfectly. I saw myself waking up at 7, eating breakfast, showering, and fixing myself up for my driver's license photo. I imagined sun as I drove to post. I saw myself as second in line, and everything going smoothly. I topped it off with a trip to the P.O. to find that the supplements I ordered last week were here. And a quick stop at Wal-Mart for more tubs.
Well, I woke at 6:50, had breakfast, showered, used the blow dryer and a little make-up. I dressed nicely. The sun peaked through the clouds on the way to post. I stood in line behind one person. So far so good. But several people that had been in the line were sitting and filling out forms. So I was more like 4th. It started to rain, and as I sat in front of the examiner, the heavens opened up and the rain came down in blankets. That wasn't part of the plan. However, after receiving a paper license with a two-week promise for the real one, I left the commissary and went to the post office. And indeed, my supplements had arrived:) I smiled all the way home. I did not stop at Wal-Mart because of the rain. I was tidying upstairs in the computer room, and then trying to redress the windows in the guest and computer rooms. I happened to look out the window and see a large cat walking across our porch (see, cat came back). When I went downstairs to get more curtain rod pieces, I noticed water on the floor. Indeed, there was water in several places, and puddling where boxes were stacked. I called the rental agent and left a message. Then I e-mailed Chris. The rental agent called back to say he and his wife were coming over to see it. When they saw it, they went home for old towels, and called the assistant for a wet vac. The assistant came first, with his girlfriend. He tried to suck it up, but he did not have a nozzle for the vac and it was spitting water out the back. Then Bob arrived with an armload of towels. They used them to soak up the water and helped me move boxes and furniture out of the way. I sopped up water with a small towel and a bucket. Bob inspected the area, and decided what was wrong and how to fix it, but said he'd come back on a dry day. Just after they left, around 4, the cable man showed up. He ran cable from the garage, through the wall, into the basement to the TV. That is when I noticed water in the closet. None of the ideas Bob had would explain the water in the closet. As the cable man worked, I unpacked more boxes. I found a clock from Germany (in pieces) and chocolate coin wrappers. Was the chocolate eaten before or after they were put in storage? I even found more fabric, strips and corduroy. The cable man showed me the new remote. It is covered in buttons. I told him all I need is 'stop' and 'go'. After he left, I continued to organize unpacked items in the sewing area. That I when I discovered that he left his meter. So I called him. He came back for it, and I asked him how to remove all the dead cable leftover from some previous occupant. He cut it out, and then left again with his meter. I finished hanging lacy curtains in the guest room and went downstairs again. As I was puttering, I heard footsteps. I rushed up to find Chris, home early. He had just checked the mailbox and the cable bill was in his hand. It did not reflect the terms he had signed up for. So he called to straighten it out. The customer service people were friendly, but did not resolve the issue. We ate supper. Then we went down to watch "Ghostbusters II" on DVD. It ended about 9:30 so we got to see one episode of BBT on cable. We are thinking of canceling it and the phone service since Knology will not honor the terms Chris was given when he signed up.

When the cat's away...

Surely the title refers to the large, gray cat that was here a few days ago, in the back yard stalking something behind a tree. In other news, Chris left today for Tennessee. He will be TDY until Thursday. It was midmorning when he left. I had eaten breakfast and I read e-mail until almost noon. How does it get so late so soon? There was no point in going outside for lunch since it was raining. So I quit to work on getting this place in order. Let's see if I can remember everything I did today. The days seem to run together. I installed coat hooks in my closet and the main coat closet. I expected it to be a quick and easy job, especially with a cordless drill. But no, the coat hook was in the way of the drill, so I had to finish up with a screwdriver. And the small closet needed wall anchors, which slipped further into the wall when I tried to put the screws in. Somehow it got done. Then I unpacked the box Chris put on my sewing table last night. I found another set of speakers (this time in my sewing room) and I added a receiver and put the box in a pile of boxes with speakers and other audio electronics. I found more fabric strips in a bag and put them as nicely as I could into a box. I think I left several bags of strips in Korea, not realizing that I had more strips in storage. They were crushed so I ironed some of them so they would fit better in the box. I used the better of the two irons I have. I thought they were the ones I brought from Korea, but in box in the computer room I found two more irons, different from each other but much like the pair I had already unpacked - a Black and Decker and a Rowenta. Weird. I found my ribbon collection from Korea and took it downstairs, but haven't found a storage place for it yet. I found my greeting card collection. The packers had dumped it in a box, so I had to sort it all out before putting it in it's drawer. I unpacked a TV stand. I found a white melamine shelf. I can't find any shelving unit that it fits, however. I added to the empty boxes in the garage. I called USAA to open a CD. I hooked up the receiver in the livingroom to a CD player and a speaker. Only had one speaker wire. It sounded pretty good and I thought how much better it would sound with two speakers. So I went hunting around and found some lamp wire that William said I could use as speaker wire. Now I have two speakers, and strangely, it isn't noticeably better. But just adding music to this house has a very homey effect. Too bad I can't take a pic of the ambiance. I listened to classical music for a bit while reading e-mail. Now I am writing my blog and preparing for bed. Tomorrow I plan to get up early and go to the DMV satellite office on post to get my Alabama driver's license now that I have a SS card. I am not looking forward to it though as it does not further my primary objective of getting this place in order. Thus every minute spent there feels like a waste of time.

Dressing the windows

It started as a typical morning. As I ate breakfast, I listened to an interview with an emergency room doctor who researches the best ways to work out. I did not realize when it started that it would last 2 hours. After an hour and a half I just had to pause it and return to my one and only priority which is getting this house in order. I started with the windows in the living room and dining room. I had to piece together curtain rod sections to get one long enough for the main window. I put two toppers together. But they needed something to hang down the sides. All I had that was long enough was a pair of 6 yard swags. They were too long together, and not long enough individually, so I doubled each one, rubberbanded the extra out of the middle, and fluffed it as best I could. I am not entirely satisfied with the effect, but it will do for now. Putting up curtains did for the room what laying down rugs did not. It feels a little more finished now, in spite of the boxes, etc. Then I took the two tab curtains off of the single windows and added them to the double window with tiebacks. I had to throw something in burgundy on each of the single windows. Satisfied with that, I went downstairs to unpack boxes in the den area. I pulled out more video tapes. Not sure what to do with the Disney ones, I left them in the box. I opened a box with more wallpaper in it. What was I thinking? It also had rolls of cellophane, sticky-backed shelf paper, and laminating film leftover from the library at Westmont. Is there anything I didn't save? Nope. Also found a box of nothing but felt scraps. In my defense, I bought a lot of crafty stuff on yardsales because I usually found myself in charge of VBS crafts with a very small budget. Question is, will it happen again? Do I keep this stuff just in case? Also, I found a great picture of Michele wearing the pink power ranger costume I made for her one year. Too bad we don't have a scanner. That pic is positively SCAN-da-lous!
When I finally took a break for lunch, it was later than I thought. In fact, Chris came home from work just after I finished my salad. We talked for a bit, and he made himself a burrito. Then I took some empty boxes downstairs to the garage. Chris came down and moved a box labeled 'cloth fabric' into my sewing room. It looked like more decorator fabric. I did not get very far into the box. I tried to find boxes that maximize the space on each shelf. I like see-through tubs, but they are built so that the bottom is smaller than the top. What a waste of space! But I guess it is the only way they will stack in the store. About 8 Chris came down and we watched a home-recorded VHS tape. There were two movies. We watched the second one, "Still Almost Human". It was very cute. Then we had to REWIND. So last century. Sigh. Chris left after the beginning of the first movie. But I stayed with it, and it got better. I don't remember the name, but it was about a hockey player turning to figure skating after an eye injury. Cute and romantic. Made me want to take up ice skating again. It was after 11 then, but Chris was still up, though not for long. After I finish this post, I am going to bed and cuing up a sleep mp3 on my laptop. Sadly I do not know how to keep it playing with the screen down so I have to wear eyeshades to block the light.

VHS

We slept late but got up early enough to have breakfast and shower before church at 10:45. Baptism was the theme of today's sermon. With all the rain, it seemed appropriate. After church we went home a different way than we came. Ask the GPS why. Then Chris and I had another 'discussion', longer than usual. We both had our say. But did we settle anything? Chris and I went downstairs to move some furniture in the sewing area. We put Michele's chifferobe in there to house fabric. Then I rearranged a little, and unpacked some VHS tapes. Chris removed a low-hanging closet bar so I could put some under-the-shelf baskets there. He made pork for supper. It was very good. Then I went back downstairs. There were more videos to unpack. Why do we need so many videos? And why are the boxes marked with high-dollar security tags? Chris helped me identify the VHS that we replaced with DVD's so I could put them on the donate pile. Then we sat on the couch to watch "The English Patient". I swear we have seen it before (long before) but so much of it I did not remember. Same for Chris. Well, it was enjoyable and diversionary. When it ended, the time was later than Chris realized, so he went to bed. And I alone am left to tell the tale....

Unpacking together

The day started slowly, but in a very good way (wink, wink). The property manager's helper came over to take the large branch away. After our breakfast and showers, we went to Home Depot for a few things including a large outdoor thermometer and then to the base to return the book on CD. Finally, we stopped at Kroger for some groceries. I put the thermometer on a chair on the deck. It was wet from the rain. Then there was more unpacking. Chris worked in the computer room, and I worked first in the living and diningrooms, and then in the basement. I started a tool area in the garage. There were two more sets of plastic shelving out there, and I realized that those are the ones that go under my cutting table. So I exchanged them for the ones I had put under there earlier. They fit better. Now where do the shorter ones go? And I have 5 shelves left over, but no legs to go with them. Chris unpacked the phone system and hooked it up. We skipped lunch and had an early supper. Then we went downstairs to watch "Cowboys and Aliens", which was a Netflix DVD, and "Back to the Future III" which Chris got for Christmas with his gift cards. Chris washed the sheets and we dressed the bed. And now.....
* Here is a pic of my batting closet *

Oh, the things you can find...

It was almost 8 when I woke up after having a strange dream. I fixed and ate breakfast. Then got on my desk top computer to read e-mail. It was working fine. But then I remembered I had a phone call to make, and then I took my supplements. When I got back to my computer, it would not connect to the internet and I had to go over to my laptop. When I had read all the easily deletable e-mail, I went downstairs to continue my work. I set up the table in the middle of the space. I cleared several boxes that were still in that area. I found an old purse, so old that it had crayons and a lollipop in it. The lollipop had melted all over it. There was a wallet in there with a $20 and my social security card. Also Michele's social security card. They must be copies. I emptied several boxes of CD's and DVD's. Then , under the heading of 'what won't they pack?', I found a mousetrap with the bait still in it. Crackers and peanut butter. I also unpacked wallpaper. Tons of it, on rolls and in remnants. They had been packed so tightly that many of the rolls were flattened. I like wallpaper. It's kinda like fabric for walls. But not here. This is not my house. Anyway, I stopped for lunch. It was so nice out that I opened windows and the garage door. It smelled like summer and lifted my mood. Around 5 Chris came home. I was sorting wallpaper into two piles - keep and donate. He fixed organic turkey burgers for supper. After supper we listened to the two remaining CD's for 'The Book of Lost Things'. I can't really recommend it. It is fantasy like a kid's book but too dark and gory. We found something to do while we were listening:) Then we went downstairs to watch Back to the Future II. Before going to bed, Chris somehow got my desktop back on the net. So here I sit, on the blog again.

* Here is a pic of my usual lunch *

Distracted by the internet

First let me say how great this connection is. I have been watching video clips that used to take 15 - 20 minutes just to download. Now they play like they were already loaded in my computer. Yea!
The drawback is, I got a late start on my daily unpacking because I sat down at my computer after breakfast. My main priority was to order supplements, but something inside me can't stand unread e-mails in my inbox so I wasted a lot of time reading and deleting. Then I pushed myself away to get some organizing done in the basement. I went through all my bags of batting scraps (no small feat) and separated them into matching piles, and throwing out the narrower ones. Even so, I had a pile of stuffed grocery bags of the strips. I shoved them into some cubbyholes build into the basement. My second priority was to clear the space in the center to set up my cutting table. So I needed storage boxes that would fit on the shelves. I wanted to buy some clear ones at Home Depot, but decided it could wait until after dark. I get the most done during daylight. So I cleaned out some boxes that are short enough to fit on the shelves to use in the meantime. Those boxes were filled with DVD's and VHS. I put them on shelves surrounding the TV. I thought I heard someone upstairs, so I went up. No one was there. It was nearing lunchtime so I had a bite to eat and sat outside in the sun with my computer. Again, I intended to submit the order, but ended up clearing more e-mail. Then Maryann skyped me. She and her son were home and taking a break. She is still fixing up her house too. We talked for a bit, then her laptop battery died. We talked again after she plugged it in. After a while, my laptop battery died. But I called her back when I got mine plugged in. Then I had to go back to work. I organized my serger thread collection, and opened the box marked 'large fabric rolls'. I had forgotten all about them. Two were stained as if the box got wet, but it didn't look like it had. I put them out in the garage with the box of small batting strips. I also went through my collection of decorator fabrics, winnowing it down to a box that will fit on the shelf. The winnowed fabrics went out into the garage, too. I think I will Freecycle that stuff. I collected 4 bags of stuff to throw in the garbage can. It felt good to see stuff leave. I have several boxes of stuff for donation, but since they are still in the house, I haven't gotten a feeling of satisfaction from them. Chris came home while I was downstairs mending his tie. I brought it up along with some more ceramic pieces of Michele's. While he fixed me liver and onions for supper, I was able to clear a space for the table. Then supper was ready. We ate, and sat at our laptops. When Chris finished, he set up my desktop computer for me. Now I can go back to XP! We did not listen to a CD since Chris wanted to go to bed early. I stayed up to clear more e-mail. I did finally place the order. And I joined the local Freecycle group. I also located a good place to move my CD which matured recently and has to be moved by tomorrow or it will be tied up for another few years. Oh, I forgot to mention that we now have home phone service. And a new number (like I desperately need another number to memorize). But we won't be getting or making any calls until we unpack a phone.

Wednesday - we got internet!

When I got up it was around 7. I prepared breakfast. While I was eating, I found my social security card. Chris called at 7:30 to be sure I was up in case Knology came at 8. Well, the guy showed up at 8:15, but just sat in the driveway for a bit. I was expecting two ladder trucks, but it was just one guy in a van. His name was Ernest. He worked very hard drilling and searching lines, going up in the attic, moving furniture. He ran internet to the computer room and cable to the family room by the kitchen. He had to move the entertainment center and I plugged in an extension cord. Sadly it was just a two-prong outlet. I would have preferred a power strip there. Try as he might, Ernest could not get a cable line to the den downstairs. The ceiling in the basement is nailed up tight and the wall is underground. I asked if he could tack it along the ceiling. He said it could be done and to think about it and call him if we really wanted to do that. I wrote him a check for $89. Then his van wouldn't start and he had to jump it from my car. After he left I finished my lunch. While he had been working, I moved shelving around in the basement, put shelving in the closets down there, emptied several boxes, rearranged some others, cleaned the closet floors. I also used the extra hardware from some windows that had them to put up curtain rods in the dining room. I hung the two burgundy panels that I bought in the Chosun. They turned out to be tab curtains not rod-pocket. I had to take down the traverse rod in the kitchen window and lay a regular rod across the hardware to hang a topper there. I hung toppers in both bathrooms, too. I wanted to be as productive as I could before the internet was installed. But I could not find the router when Ernest asked for it, and the desktop computers were not set up, so I still am not on the net. I expect Chris will handle that when he gets home tonight. When Chris came home, I had finished recording my blog for later when I could connect with the internet. He hooked up the router to the Knology modem and we were online. I checked e-mail and watched a video of BBT on the CBS site while he cooked some fish from the freezer. It was very good. We also did two loads of laundry and listened to two CD's from the book. It is due Saturday. Then I jumped back on to the computer to upload the previously written blog posts, almost catching up to present day. Ah, the joy of internet!

Tues, Jan 3rd

Chris got up early and went to work. I got up around 7:15 but got cold so I went back to bed. When I warmed up, I got dressed and went out to the kitchen for breakfast. Chris called while I was making breakfast to be sure I was up and ready for Bob. After breakfast I went downstairs to move all the boxes away from the wall where the outlets were in case Bob had to take the paneling down. He arrived when I was installing a curtain rod in the master bath. We talked for a bit, then he went downstairs to see what the problem was. He took apart the unscrewed outlet and found that the hot wire was broken, and too short. So he left to get a new outlet, wire, wirenuts, etc. He completely replaced it and checked to see if it was grounded. The other outlets were wired like Christmas lights. Once he replaced the one that didn't work, the others started working again. He showed me a new way to operate the garage doors. Boy, was it cold outside! Then he left. I took one of the tubs Faye bought me for Christmas and loaded it with wool fabrics. Now they are protected. I think I'll put dressy fabrics in the other one. I also put quilting scraps in the small tub vacated by the wool fabric. Now I am sitting down to write notes for my blog which I cannot post from here. But tomorrow Knology comes and we will be reconnected to the world. Maybe this house will seem more like a home when we can surf the net and watch TV.

Lunch was a large salad and a hard-boiled egg. I used most of the salad dressing that Chris made. After lunch I tried on the dresses from last night. I was too tired then to decide which should stay and which should go. I put the 'to be donated' clothing in a box. Then I tried to organize the hall closet by sorting the sheets and pillowcases into sets, and placing each set into a case. I only got so far because I found a number of incomplete sets. I hope the missing pieces aren't at Michele's apt. It was after 5 and Chris arrived home from work. I called Deb to see if the meeting was still on. It was, and she had sent an e-mail with the address (which I did not get ). I read the map one more time to memorize the route and where to bear left to follow the main road. I kissed Chris goodbye, and drove off. It was after dark and I was worried about getting lost. But was very excited when the trip went perfectly. I arrived on time. A few other ladies came in about the same time. We all sat down and began to talk. Then Deb started Show-n-Tell. I showed my large wallhanging that won the Army quilting contest. Other people had quilts in various stages of progress. They had a pizza box exchange. Then Deb showed us the fabric sets for the Buck-a-Block program at Huntsville Sew-n-Vac. We could sign up for the set we liked best. Then once a month we come in to buy a 'block' which includes the instructions and the fabric strips to make it. There is a one-time purchase of Thangles paper. Each set actually makes two blocks, so at the end of the year we will have 24 blocks. She was not sure how big each block would be. I did not sign up. It was very tempting. But I took a vow not to buy any fabric until Michele graduates. And I want to see a block made in the purple and gold batik set before I decide if it would be worth it. We set tentative dates for a Ricky Tims kaleidoscope class and an Open Sew session. When the meeting was over, I checked my map once again to be sure I could get home. Then I braved the cold and headed out. When I got home, Chris kissed me and I ate some onion soup and cheese. We listened to another CD of “The Book of Forgotten Things”. Then we went to bed.

Monday Jan 2nd

I got up first. It was a federal holiday so Chris stayed home. I ate while Chris showered, then showered while Chris ate. Dressed. In the basement, I pulled my sewing desk into place and tested my sewing machines. The Singer works fine, but had a lot of trouble with the embroidery machine. The touchscreens aren't working properly. Went to post to pick up mail. Then sat at the library to read e-mail in the car. Also ordered a shower head filter and posted to my blog. Then we stopped at the Korean market for natto and seaweed. On the way back, we went to the large Kroger for groceries and organic cheese. By then it was lunchtime so we had lunch. I called Bob about the outlets not working in the basement and about the large branch that fell from the tree across the fence. I hung curtains in the bedroom and spent the rest of the afternoon trying on the clothes hanging in the closet to whittle the lot down to something reasonable. I took a break near the end for supper. Chris made onion soup. Then he used his computer to play the book on CD that we hadn't finished in the car. I finished trying on dresses while listening to the 4^th and 5^th CD's, then lay down. When the 5^th one ended, Chris turned out the lights and we went to bed.

New Year's Day - going home.

When I got up, Mom was dressed and finishing her breakfast. I had fixed mine the night before, so I got it out of the fridge, ready to eat. Then I bathed, dressed, and fixed Mom's hair. Chris was ready to go. When I went to say goodbye, Dad had taken Mom to the bathroom. So I went back there to hug them goodbye. Then we were on the road. We finished listening to the book on CD that we started on the way up. I had trouble following it due to road noise and the way it was read. We ate the remaining hard-boiled eggs at lunchtime. Later we stopped at a Subway for a salad and a sandwich. It was at the same exit we have stopped at twice before: once at the Wendy's and once at the Cracker Barrel. When the first book was finished, we started another one. It had less conversation in it, so it was easier to follow. We did not finish it by the time we arrived home circa 6:15 central time. We unloaded the car, and unpacked our suitcases. The state of the house was depressing: boxes and stuff everywhere. Chris and I had a 'discussion'. I threw out the fermented coconut milk from two weeks ago, and he made another batch. Then we went downstairs to watch the DVD of Back to the Future. I have seen it before, but not for a long time. We retired then for the night. No internet means no blogging.
It is New Year's Day and for some that means resolutions. But I don't make New Years' resolutions. My philosophy is that anything worthy of being a resolution should be started right away. I don't wait for the first of the year, or of a month, or even of a week. Usually I only wait until morning. (All my best ideas come in the middle of the night)