A walk in the park

I woke up in the middle of night. I swished because my mouth had a bad taste. I wanted to check e-mail, but id not want all the blue light. However, F.Lux did not know it was the middle of the night. I changed the time zone on my laptop but it still did not know. So I wrestled with f.lux, and ended up having to download it again. I checked e-mail. Chris invited me back to bed. I woke up before 8, showered, dressed, and made breakfast. It took a long time because the ingredients were out of order, here and there and not in regular containers. Just as I was finishing breakfast, MaryAnn called on skype. I only had afew minuted to talk because Chris was taking me to meet Cathy. We walked to her house. On the way, we saw a duplex 'boarded up' with pieces of cardboard. Very ingenious. She gave me a jar of coconut oil that she bought as a back up. She and I have a lot in common. She filters her water and grows herbs and has essential oils. Her kids were really cute. She showed me all the things her sewing lady had made. She offered me a ride to church tomorrow. We walked back to the duplex. I ate a hard boiled egg, and started a new batch of fermented coconut milk. We took a long walk out the front gate and down the street to a park. We saw lots of nature, including a lake with carp. A man walked by. He did not speak English but I am sure he told us the word for fish, pointing into the water. Sadly I forgot it almost immediately even though I said it several times. We walked up hill from the park and found a coffee shop. He got coffee and I got mango tea. Very elegantly served. But then it was $6 per cup. Then we walked back a slightly different way. We went past the front gate to a little store to buy kimchi. Then we went on base to the commissary. We picked up a few things for hummus. I saw coconut oil in three different sizes in three different places! I can't believe they told us yesterday that they were out of it. Then we walked home. Home? It doesn't feel that way yet. Chris made himself a burrito. I had some pickles I bought just for the jar. I also ate some kimchi with last night's chicken. I read e-mail. There was a short video on the science behind fluoridation. Hopefully people will realize the dangers to thyroid and endocrine function outweigh the small benefit to teeth. Chinhae does not fluoridate their water. Score one for Chinhae! I took notes for my blog. Chris did laundry and worked on his computer. He switched the desk and the TV table so the phone cord would reach the desk. Kids knocked on our door, looking for candy. Since we had heard it was canceled, we did not have anything to give them except burnt rice candy. Chris offered that and they did not accept. More kids came even though we did not have our light on. So Chris wrote on a sheet of packing paper that we had no candy and caught it in the door. This did not stop the kids, but when we did not answer, they went away. Later we watched a movie – some western with Jimmy Stewart. I made up a Swansons order. Then I read more of my library book while he walked to work to print out his plane ticket. Then we watched another western. The next thing I knew he was telling me we ought to go to bed. I guess I fell asleep. So we went to bed and I woke up at 3am and posted to my blog.

The busiest day

We slept well most of the night. It was still dark – probably 6 when we got up. Chris took his shower and I cleaned up and got dressed. He picked a strawberry growing by the front door. We walked to Turtle Cove for breakfast. Along the way, Chris pointed out the school and the church and the commissary and the medical center and his work building. Basically we had to pass everything to get there. And it was at the bottom of the hill. We had the breakfast buffet which was nothing to write home about. The bacon was cold. I tried both kinds, not sure what the second kind was, but it was not good. Then I got two hardboiled eggs and fresh fruit. There was something that looked like tomato juice. I asked what it was and all the lady could tell me was that it came from a can. After we ate, it was all uphill. literally. We met the commander. We stopped by Chris' office so he could make a phone call. Then we went back to the duplex for supplements and a quick e-mail. We went to some office to get me an ID card. They needed to see Chris' orders and he had to run back to the duplex to get them. Eventually I got my ID. It was too early for the commissary so we went to the library, which was jest a set of book shelves in a rec room. Chris went to his office. The library lady showed me the theatre on the same floor (which is where church services are currently being held while the chapel is under renovation). Then I read a book until Chris came back after 11. I checked out the book, and we walked to the commissary in the same building but on the first floor. We got some groceries and checked out. The commissary lets people take the carts to their quarters, so we walked it to the post office to pick up four parcels. I was disappointed to find that my sewing machine was not one of them. Then Chris pushed the cart up the hill to our quarters. He returned the cart while I put the groceries away and opened the first box. My essential clove oil must have spilled because the corner of the box looked wet and it smelled like cloves. I tried to put things in the cabinets, but they are so high that I could only reach the lowest shelf. My bag of flax seed split. I was able to save most of it. I cut up a milk jug to make a funnel. (Did I mention that Chris saved me ALL of his recyclables in case I needed containers? Milk jugs, egg cartons, jars and bags) I poured it all in a plastic jar. Chris returned and helped me pour in what had spilled into the box. Somehow I dropped the container and all of it went on the floor. I cried. Then I picked up the greatest concentrations with a card. I asked for a broom or dustpan but he did not have one. He brought me the vacuum. I used the hose to suck up seeds but it did not work well and there were no seeds in the vac's cup. So we took the hose off and went outside. We used the hose as a snake to clear obstructions which looked like Cheetos which had the cheese licked off of them. I put the hose back on and it worked much better. But some of the flax seed went under the dishwasher where I could not get it. Chris had to go to the gate to meet the moving people. He returned with the man and his truck. As he brought in the boxes and opened them, Chris checked the numbers off. There were only a few. He had to escort the man off post. Started unpacking the boxes. When he got back, we walked to the ration card office. One of the men who drove us last night was there and processed my card. Then we went to the phone store. Boy, was that confusing! All they had were smart phones, so there was talk of data plans, and memory, and operating systems, and screen size and so on. I settled on a Samsung Galaxy A7 because of the larger screen. I was astounded at the price of the phones. But we signed up for a two year plan and my phone was $13 a month over the plan price. Then there was much signing of papers, in English and in Korean. I must have signed my name up to two dozen times. Then I had to ask how to make a phone call. Operating the phone was a little like my tablet, which is very very good. Then we toured the Px and got some hangers. Finally we stopped by the post office so Chris could show me how to do it. His box was on the top row. But even with the stepstool, I could only see the numbers for the combination lock by grabbing the molding and pulling myself up. Chris read me the combination but I had trouble getting it open. They were closing so we just left. We visited the gym on the way home. I saw the racquet court, weight room, gym, and cardio. The saunas and showers were closed for renovation. Then we took the fitness trail back to the duplex. I was exhausted and realized that I hadn't had lunch. I sat down to check e-mail while Chris finished up some assignment that was due yesterday. He agreed to cook supper but needed a baking dish, so, as tired as I was, I unpacked until I found the baking dish. I tried to stay awake, but was almost asleep when he brought me a plate of chicken and brussels sprouts. I ate that, and he brought me some chocolate and dates. I thought that eating would help me stay awake but I was dog tired. So we went to bed at 7:30. I figured I would get up in the middle of the night to post to my blog.

The longest day

It seemed like a long night at the hotel. I cried in the silence with no activity to distract me, missing my friends. The fire alarm had a green strobe light that did not encourage sleep. Then I noticed a growing headache which got really bad and then I tossed my cookies. I cleaned it up somewhat and felt a little better after that but then it was time to get up. I did not feel like eating anything. I showered, dressed, and checked e-mail. We left the coconut oil, coconut water, and fermented coconut milk behind. I was going to consume them, but did not feel like it was a good idea. I strapped my carry-on to a suitcase 'cause I had two big suitcases to roll. One wheel broke and now matches the other wheel that broke last year. We stood in line to check our baggage. The lady did not want to approve my ticket because I did not have a visa, but somehow it worked out. We went to security. I was fine, but they stopped Chris. The nuts and berries that I had left fell out of their container in his bag, all over his spare outfit. We waited to board and I tried not to watch the TV because of all the violent images. Then we got on the plane.
Our carry-ons had to go several seats back. The plane got colder and colder. I wore a long sleeve shirt, plus a jacket and still needed a blanket. I got a second one from Chris who had no one sitting in the seat beside him. I watched the sun rise from the window. I used the lavatory and wondered why they make a point of explaining on every flight how to buckle your seatbelt, but not a word about how to operate the lavatory. It was a two hour flight to Dallas. My left ear was not happy even though I used the Earplanes. While Chris was looking for the departure gate display, I ate some of the nuts and cranberries. We took the train to terminal D, going around our elbow to get to our noses. As we sat at our gate, Chris bought me water and I made up a breakfast and ate it and took my supplements. I checked e-mail and took a walk. I went to the bathroom and took notes for my blog. Then we went through priority boarding and switched tickets right after the passport check. I went to first class and he went to business class. The extra room was really amazing. And the chair did all sorts of things. I had a fold out tray and monitor, and a work desk and a place for company to sit. The stewardess brought me a glass of champagne. She also brought me band-aids since I pricked my finger on a pin stuck in my neck pouch. I was going to make the glass last for the flight but they took it away before take-off. The head steward was Alan who introduced himself and showed me how to operate the seat controls. He also brought me a pair of pajamas. I put in my Earplanes and read a quilt magazine while waiting for take-off. Alan came to take my order for after take-off. During take-off I watched the landscape disappear. Then Alan set my tray table up. The stewardess handed out documents for entering Korea. I wrote down the answers that I knew. She put a tablecloth on my tray and a small dish of toasted cashews and glass of mineral water. I was going to give some nuts to Chris but she took them away before I could think of something to put them in. From Dallas, the plane flew NW, over Alaska and Siberia. I wondered why the flights from Atlanta were shorter. After the appetizer of shrimp and salmon, and the soup (hot and sour) and the salad, I was full so I asked to have the entree later. I watched Jurassic World and another movie called “Magic n the Moonlight”, followed by a few episodes of Big Bang Theory. I laid down for a long nap. It was like sleeping on a flying carpet – at 36000 feet going 500 mph. I don't know how long I slept, and I did some mental programming too. After another BBT episode, I had my entree – bibimbap (rice, vegetables and beef). I watched the rest of the BBT episodes and then part of a movie called Transcendence. I paused it to take a nap, but it reset itself, so when I woke up, I had to find my place again. After I finished it, I visited Chris for the answer to the last question. Then I repacked my carry-on and pulled out my purse. I tried to eat all the remaining nuts and berries since they wouldn't go through customs. I looked at the last two quilt magazines, and took notes for my blog. We deplaned pretty quickly, but since we had to catch a train along with everyone else, we were no longer near the front of the line. We took turns standing by the baggage carousel and using the restroom. I threw out the rest of the nuts. Chris came back with a luggage cart and we loaded it up and went through customs with no problem. Then we went to the train counter to get tickets to Changwon, but amazingly all the seats were sold on all the trains going today. So Chris had to buy bus tickets and we had to wait an hour and a half. While we were waiting, he plugged his phone into a wall to charge. We tried to keep it in sight. Chris bought me a bottle of water while I tried to post to my blog using airport wifi. That did not work even though the lower right hand screen showed I was connected. At 5:30 local time, we went outside to catch the bus. It was cold. Chris gave me his airplane pajama top to wear under my jacket and that helped. When the bus arrived, we put our 4 big suitcases under the bus and our 4 carry-ons went inside with us. It was a 5 hour ride to Changwon with stops, one of which was for a potty break. I tried to sleep on the bus, but had little luck before the break. During the break I got out the neck pillow and eyeshades and airplane socks. So I did sleep some after that. We got to the bus terminal about 11pm. Two young men came up to greet us. They had driven in a sedan. Fitting 4 oversized suitcases was interesting. Chris and I were up close and personal sitting in the back seat with two of the suitcases. It was a 15 minute ride to post. It took a while to get me in the gate because I did not have my ID yet and something was closed. They took us to the duplex and helped carry in all the luggage. Then Chris gave me a partial tour of the house before plugging in the router. Then he showed me the bedrooms and bathrooms. Neither bathroom will accommodate my shower filter. Also, the bed looked like a full, not a queen, which is what I packed bedding for. Tired, I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* This is my new 'home'. *

Goodbye Huntsville

We woke up before six. There was no reason to get up so early, but we could not go back to sleep, so eventually we got up and showered. Chris went to find breakfast while I showered, dressed and exercised. I posted to Freecycle all the liquids and sprays and supplies that would be leftover. We packed and I grabbed my pillow. As we checked out, the clerk asked Chris if he spoke French. Then the two of them had a conversation in French until the desk phone rang. We went to Chris' car and drove back to the house. The light in the stairwell was on but I clearly remember Chris turning it off. Hmm. Everything else was as we had left it. I made breakfast and finished off all the liquid supplements even though there was plenty left. I started cleaning in the kitchen but soon moved to the hall bath. I scattered powdered cleanser on the tub and poured toilet bowl liquid in the toilet bowl. We had packed the tb brushes, so I put on a rubber glove and used a sponge. I was cleaning in the small bathroom when it was time to leave. We went to the Tuesday group to give Beverly the Texas license plate. Jane gave me one from Oregon. We had a good time talking to the ladies. Then we drove to the Asian store for one last package of kimbap. I wanted to say goodbye to the proprietress, but she wasn't there. So we told one of the clerks that we were moving to Korea tomorrow and she said she would pass on our goodbye. We went back to the house. I ate the kimbap and started cleaning again. Chris told me he wanted to leave by two and that came as a shock since I planned on cleaning all day. We settled on three. I called Denise and she came over for moral support. She also brought some tomatoes from her garden. We talked as I cleaned. I checked my e-mail several times to see if the Freecycle post had gone out and if there were any replies. Nope. I finished the bathrooms and turned my attention to the fridge. When Denise learned that I had intended to sell it, she and Chris posted it to Craig's list as a last ditch effort. I took some pics of it for the posting. She also called around to find someone to take the food and cleaning supplies. The local soup kitchen said they would take the cleaning supplies and unopened food. Denise took what she could use and said we might as well give them the rest of it and let them throw away what they did not want. We did throw out some stuff from the fridge and freezer. I kept some things to eat in the hotel room. Chris was able to upgrade my ticket to business class before he turned in the wifi equipment. I went around with a damp mop on all the floors upstairs. We did not get to the downstairs but it was swept out yesterday. Finally the last bits went into the trash or out in the carport. Chris left the keys on the counter since we could not get the agent to do a walkthru. We said goodbye to Denise who offered to deliver the food and supplies to the charity. Then we locked the doors and left. I started crying and then Chris did, too. He said 'But you didn't like this house' and I said 'It was never this clean.' We drove to the airport hotel. We carried one load in and went to the second floor of the airport to check in. Then we used our key cards to access the elevator's fifth floor. We discovered a nice big room waiting for us. Then we went back for the second load. On the way back we stopped at the luggage check-in to weigh the suitcases. Chris only weighed the two biggest ones and since they were only a little over 50 pounds, he figured the lighter ones were fine. We took them to our room. Then he left to drop off his car at someone's house. Josh met him there and drove him back to the hotel. Meanwhile, I figured out how to get my laptop on the hotel internet and wrote up notes for my blog. There were still no calls on the fridge at that time and the Freecycle post had gone to the list but not sent out so no one had seen it. Since the Freecycle items were no longer at the house, I sent a post to that effect. Chris arrived back from dropping off the car. We ate some of the food we brought from the house. Then our phones rang at the same time. He got a call from his mother, and I got a call about the fridge. Denise had offered to drive me back to the house if someone called, so I called her but she wasn't ready to go yet, and Chris wanted to get to bed early. So I tried calling the rental agency but there was no answer. We ended up sending them an e-mail with the man's contact information asking them to let him in and collect the payment. The outcome is in God's hands. As an afterthought, we e-mailed the man to see if he wanted the sleeper sofa as well. I repacked my suitcases and carryon to fit in as much as possible and protect the fragile stuff. That took quite some time. I was worried about the remaining food, but Chris said that it would go through security, just not into Korea, which means I can eat it in Dallas. Then I worried that my flute could get stolen from my suitcase. Chris managed to get it in my carryon. I cleaned all the non essentials out of my purse and put them in my suitcase so it too would fit in my carryon. Finally everything was in place and zipped or locked shut. Then Chris asked where we were going to put the clothes we wore today. I said I planned to throw mine away, having chosen them just for that purpose. Then I posted to my blog but was unable to upload a photo because of the suddenly slow internet speed - just like at the other hotel. I guess every one gets on the net at night. And we went to bed.

The last load

We got up at 7. It was a dark and rainy day – kind of like my mood. I expected to have a bad day watching all the rest of our stuff go away. I wonder if my mood brought the rain. I exercised, swished and ate breakfast. After breakfast I washed walls in the master bedroom, then the items in the sink. I moved the remaining food items to the other side of the kitchen so I could clean there. I put a pot of water in the coffee maker and poured the last of the dandelion tea leaves in it. I scrubbed in the kitchen cabinets. I put the rolling wire baskets in the dishwasher because they were so greasy (from before we moved in). Chris went to the post office. When he got back, I took all the paper plates, cups and plastic ware to quilting. Bertha was there handquilting, so I sat and helped her. It was a nice thing to do on such a dreary and depressing day. I enjoyed talking to my friends. When I was ready to leave, Alice wrote up a bill of sale for my car and we both signed it. I came home to clean the stuff out of my car, and put the cover in the back. I ate some lunch and had some tea. I saw that I had missed some of the paper cups. I took the wire baskets out of the dishwasher. They were still sticky but I had done my best. Bertha and Alice came over. I gave Alice the remaining paper cups and my car key. Bertha left in her car and Alice took her 'new' station wagon. She said she got a deal, and I sincerely hope she did and it drives reliably for a long time. Soon after they left, Denise called to say she was on her way. She wanted to order from Swansons, so we did that here. While we were at it, the man came for our chairs and table. So after that, we stood around talking. Then Mike arrived and she had to go to get out of his way and to pick up her husband. Chris showed Mike how to drive around the house to the back of the carport. The two of them hefted the riding mower into his van (and all the accessories). He talked about martial arts for awhile, then drove off. The men asked me to look around to see if anything did not get packed. I found a few things, including two irons. Then I swept out the basement while they loaded the garage. We said goodbye and watched the truck leave. Chris sat on the floor in the computer room with his laptop. I ate up leftover sweet potato and ghee, sunflower seeds, and blueberries. I listened to an audio. Our next door neighbor came over to say goodbye. I could not resist telling him to come in and have a seat (nothing here). I gathered some clothes for tomorrow, and we went to the Hampton Inn. I laid in bed and played a paraliminal audio with headphones. I was nearly relaxed and asleep when my phone rang. But Chris answered it. After the audio was over, my phone rang again. It was Beverly. There are no short conversations with Beverly. I promised to stop by the Tuesday group to give her the license plate. Then Chris came to bed and massaged magnesium oil into my skin. It was good except for my fingertips. Those were pricked from quilting so they itched. Then I posted to my blog , or tried to. The hotel internet was unreliable. He went to sleep while I fought with the wifi and decided to post without a pic so I could go to sleep too.
* these kids attended Trunk-or-treat Sunday night *

Last Sunday at All Saints Lutheran Church

We woke up early. I stayed in bed a little while, but then got up before 8 to exercise and swish. I took a shower with a cold rinse, and made breakfast. I had a tough time finding all the accessories for my Sunday outfit, rummaging between two suitcases. Finally I got dressed, and took my supplements. With the remaining time, I washed walls. I googled how to get pencil marks off the walls, and then spread some toothpaste on the marks. We left for church. I put the flower vase back in the little room where Jennifer got it. I got some tissues from the bathroom in case I got emotional. Terry said goodbye. I warmed up with the choir. Then Jennifer gave me a small bag of goji berries from the plant I gave her. After the announcements, the pastor came over to us and read a passage and made farewell remarks. He also gave us a very nice ornament of the church. During the service, he handed bibles to kids of a certain age. There was lots of singing “A Mighty Fortress”. After the service, there was a gathering for Don's 85th birthday. He has been my pew buddy for the last four years. So told him we'd come back for his 100th party. Many people gave us hugs and it felt like leaving family. I was tearing up as we left. When we got home, I read the wonderful card that the choir signed, and the one Paige gave me. I changed my clothes. I ate some goat cheese and sweet potato with butter. Chris did laundry. I swept the basement and worked in the garage. At 3:45 I left for church. I met Art and we started counting the offering. Dave came in to watch the process. He and Art resolved the EFT inconsistency. The totals were right the first time, as usual. On the way out, I saw Heather and the others getting ready for Trunk or Treat. On my way to the car, I saw the bonfire that Susan was tending. I went over to see if she needed help, but she did not. The Greenway runs behind the church and I have never walked it, so I went down there just to say I touched it. I took a pic to prove it. Then I went back to my car and drove away. They all waved goodbye and I waved back. I cried on the way home. When I got there, the broken chair that we put out by the garbage was gone. I ate some dates and chocolate, then crumbled some salty seaweed into the seaweed soup from yesterday and ate it all. I went back to the garage. I kept finding areas to root through and organize. I guess once the areas of most disorganization were out of the way, I began to see the smaller ones that never caught my attention. We called Michele to ask about a few things we found. I caught up on Sudoku while listening to a QnA session on The Truth About Cancer video series. I looked up the vin number in my glove box. I read that GMO's in Korea must be labeled. Not sure that helps me because I can't read Korean. I looked into LivingFuel as mentioned on TTAC. It was expensive, but I couldn't find any bad reviews. Then it was time for bed.
* The white strip on the red door is a copy of Martin Luther's 95 theses. I did not have time to read them. *

A party is a nice distraction

We stayed in bed late because there were no packers coming. Chris gave me a massage. I thought about remarks that several of the packers had made about how much stuff we had. They made me feel badly because they are only seeing what is left after all the stuff we left behind in Pinehurst, all the stuff we gave to the youth group, all the fabric I gave away and all the donation piles that got hauled off. Oh, and all the stuff that get shipped to Korea. I did some tapping and realized that the stuff represents all my varied interests, plus my belief that few things are truly worthless. They can used, or fixed, or made into something else. Chris got into the shower after 8. I exercised and swished, and then took my shower. I made my breakfast and wondered if I should prepare one for Wednesday morning. Chris told me that the plane for Dallas leaves at 5:35am. I imagined my breakfast would make it through security if it only had the dry ingredients in it. I filled the old coffee pot with water and turned the heating element on. I crumbled sheets of nori into it and hoped it would turn into seaweed soup by lunch time. I cleaned cupboards in the kitchen. I scrubbed the kitchen walls and countertops. I put some elbow grease into the stove and oven as well. We went through our suitcases looking for small heavy things that should get mailed so our luggage won't be overweight. We would have used a scale, but it had already been packed. At two, I got hungry. I had nothing to flavor the seaweed with so I mixed some soup with the thai food from last night. That was surprisingly good (though I don't think it will catch on). I helped Chris load cardboard into my car. He drove to the recycling center. I found more, but saw the neighbor out, so I told him about my green tomato and said he should pick it when it gets ripe. He invited me to pick some of his peppers. Then Chris returned and we filled the car with boxes again. I went inside to sweep floors. I put on a long video on poisons in the modern food supply. It was written by a French woman so there were lots of subtitles. I swept during the English parts. Then we changed clothes and Chris drove us to Jennifer's house. She and her husband were giving a party. Chris knew more people there than I did since he used to work with her. But I found people to talk to. One gentleman told me he taught his students how to douse to find buried power lines and such. He had done big engineering projects in Richmond. When I mentioned that my dad was a retired soil scientist and had done soil maps, he told me to thank my dad for all the info. Another young woman was learning to crochet and had been thinking about quilting, so we had a good chat. There was a fire pit in their back yard. But I did not get to sit by it. When the food was ready, we went inside to fill our plates and I sat in the living room to eat with two other ladies. At the end of the evening I took a moment to stand by the fire after everyone had left. Then we said goodbye to our hosts and came home. I finished my video while doing Sudoku puzzles. But I kept getting them wrong. When the video was over, I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* And they had more comfortable seating *

No place like home

This morning I did some mental programming while lying in bed. When the alarm rang, Chris jumped in the shower. I got up to take pics of a box, then fired up my laptop, brushed my teeth and put coconut oil on the area above my ear. I, swished and exercised around the boxes. I found another cache of cooking utensils in the closet. Apparently we had more than would fit in the drawers so I put the extras there. I weeded out wooden spoons but Chris wanted them because he said he could not buy them in the Chinhae PX. It was again after 8 till I got to my breakfast, working around the boxes in the kitchen. As the men packed, I wiped down furniture. I pulled nails out of the walls, but those with picture hangers were too solidly embedded. I started to clean the fridge but Chris said to wait on that.
Denise called to talk generally and about the probiotic I ordered for her knowing that she is coming to visit next week. When I came in to check on it, I realized that it had gotten sent to Korea with the rest of my vitamins. Argh! I laid outside in the sun, in my regular clothes and with no towel or sheet between me and the ground. But it felt good anyway. I was expecting a call from Beverly and when she didn't, I called her. She came over with some quilt magazines for me to read on the plant and a fabric license plate. I had promised her a Texas one. I went to my car to get the one that I saved for her, but it wasn't there. I hoped it went to Korea (rather than packed in a box) and promised to mail it to her. We talked a long time in the driveway. I shooed her out at five because she was parked behind the moving truck. But their boss must have told them not to come back until the truck was full and they kept loading for another hour and half. Chris took pics of a spider, and the flowering chia. I watered the peppers. After a summer of no tomatoes, the plants have all come back and greened up in the cooler weather. We saw one very large green tomato that will likely not ripen before we leave. Sigh. I got hungry. Chris had offered to take me to the Thai place for supper, but the men were still loading. He brought up the menu online and I chose what I wanted. He ordered and went to pick it up. I swept several rooms and the den carpet so they could load it. While Chris was still gone, the man in charge asked me to sign papers listing everything they had packed, and asking for a rating on a scale from 1 to 10. I could not believe the number of pages, and that was just the upstairs stuff. After they left, we ate. Then we went to Publix for milk, chocolate, dates, coconut water and a cucumber. When we got back to the house and opened the door, I exclaimed “Looks like we've been robbed!” Chris did not laugh but I thought it was funny. We moved the kitchen table (only table left) into the den so we could both sit at it comfortably. I listened to a very long podcast on autism and asbergers. While it played, I looked at quilts on Pinterest, and then worked on Sudoku puzzles. I could not get comfortable without my favorite chair. When the audio was over, it got quiet and the emptiness made me cry. Chris went to bed, so I posted to my blog and went, too.
P.S. The men did not finish packing the basement and garage, so they are coming back Monday to finish the job.

If you lay it down, they will pack it.

I woke up before 6 and could not go back to sleep. Funny how I can be so tired and not be able to sleep. We got up at 7. While Chris took his shower, I turned on my laptop and swished and exercised. Then I took my shower. I have been ending my showers with a cold rinse for the last two weeks in case there is something to the theory that cold showers help with depression. I need all the help I can get. Chris wanted to change out my shower filter head with the original one. But he could not find it. So I went all through the tool area looking for it (because that's where I put it) and did not find it. But while I was at it, I sorted through what should go in storage vs thrown/donated. The packers arrived soon after. I did not have time to get breakfast before they started packing. And they started upstairs in the kitchen and bedrooms. So I had to fix breakfast around them and rescue my items from being packed. I pulled all the stuff to be stored from the corner of the kitchen where I was making breakfast, and told them not to pack anything from that corner. I hoped my future breakfasts were safe. I grabbed an old dishcloth and towel and threw them in the bathroom hoping they would stay there and not get packed before I had a chance to clean. I put my broom and mop outside. I went through all the items on the desk in the den. I went through piles of stuff here and there as I found them. I kept checking on the packers to make sure they got their questions answered. One man was packing the books on fixing things around the house. Since he was so interested, I told him he could have them. Another man expressed interest in the patio chairs so I told him he could have them, but not 'till the stuff was loaded because we might need them to sit on when all the chairs were packed. I cleaned up piles in the basement and added boxes to the recycling pile. I love saving boxes and it hurt to let them go. I thought my dad would understand the feeling. All those lovely boxes and paper and plastic bags... sigh. Before we leave, I will have to let go of my jar collection, too. Chris bought lunch for the movers. He got me a package of kimbap. I ate it at the patio table out back. The packer in the computer room moved my suitcase so he could get to the books behind it. I swore there was a packing strap under the suitcase that insures it stays shut, but he swore he never saw it and I could not find it anywhere. Eventually Chris found it inside the suitcase. Finally I thought I was really done going through piles. I sat down to jot notes for my blog and send a note to the Thursday crowd. Chris used the riding mower one last time. Sadly the push mower was gone so he could not trim up what the riding mower missed. Chris went to post to copy forms and give them to someone. Then I found the shower head in the downstairs bathroom where I must have put it to avoid being packed. I found another tool cache in the garage, and went through all of that, partly with Chris after the packers left. They said they thought they could finish packing by noon tomorrow and start loading. I relaxed after they left because all day long I was afraid if I laid something down, they would pack it. We carried the branches that their truck knocked down to the street. He left again to fuel my car and buy sodas for the packers tomorrow. I raked up the remaining sticks and leaves. I sat down to have leftover leftovers: goat cheese and sweet potato. Chris came back from the store with coconut water for me (since I finished what Faye got me.) I listened to part of the last episode of TTAC where lots of cancer survivors tell their stories. Then we put the Netflix movie Tintin in my laptop and watched it. It was animated in a way that looked almost real. The story was interesting but some of the action was just not believable. I let the credits play just to listen to the music. I sat at my piano and pretended it was me playing. It may be the last time I 'play' my piano. Chris went to bed, but I stayed up to post to my blog.
* Is it possible to be addicted to boxes? *

3-D Tetris

We woke up early again. I could not go back to sleep so we just got up. I turned on my computer while Chris took his shower. I got an e-mail saying our first shipment had arrived in Korea and the moving company was ready to deliver it. I exercised, then ued up the last of the kefir making breakfast. I went out to scrub the patio chairs, but it was hard work and they did not come clean. Chris said the packers would not store them that way and so we should just leave them behind, and the table, too. A slighly different crew of packers arrived with a big truck with crates inside. As they brought out boxes and wrapped items, it was like a giant game of Welltris getting all the stuff inside. I tried to help because I like that game, but Chris said to leave them alone. When the half empty 5 gallon bucket of coconut oil came out, the man in charge said they could not take liquids, and even though it wasn't liquid now, that it would melt on the way. Another packer called their boss. I vividly imagined the boss person saying yes. And that was the answer. I got the plastic bag it came in and tied it up with a twist tie as insurance. We went through the filing cabinet and threw out lots of papers. We found what seemed like the last remnants of Michele's childhood. So sad. I read my blog entries subsequent to buying my car to get clues to finding the title. But there were none. Although we have already applied for a replacement title, I kept hoping we would find the original. I ate half a sweet potato and goat cheese. I sorted through bags and bags of cards and letters, some from before I was married. I kept some and tossed others. So many beautiful cards, seemed a shame to throw them out. I helped Chris fill my car with boxes for recycling. He drove off and I pulled out enough boxes for the next load. But when he got back, there wasn't time for that. I put on clean pants since mine were so dusty. Soon it was time for me to grab my contributions folder and drive to church. I dropped off some shoe boxes. Then Dave and I sat down so I could fill him in on how the offering gets counted and deposited. I gave him my folder because I won't be needing it. I sat in the sanctuary to wait for choir while talking to the other women. We practiced several things for this Sunday and the next. Then Jennifer asked me to stand up. She made a little speech and handed me a vase of flowers. Everyone clapped. They said they would pray me back to Huntsville. I teared up. A card was going around and people were signing it. The men were excused early but the women had to stay to practice a piece for a Sunday in October. So I left early too. When I got home, I brought the flowers in to show Chris. He gave me a ring that he found in a parking lot in Honduras. I took some car repair receipts out to my glove compartment for the next owner. We moved the wet/dry vac and accessories which were here when we moved in, to the carport so it would not get packed. We got an e-mail saying that the shipment from today would arrive at the end of December. It sounded like the first shipment took less time than they said, but the second shipment will take more. I listened to the 'Making Change Easy” CD while working on the Sudoku puzzle for last weekend. Then I went through the bathroom cabinet but then Chris said they would not pack liquids, so I concentrated on non-liquids, then decided to leave that for morning. Surely they won't pack my toothbrush. Then I finished going through all the cards, and found a pile of fresh ones that had never been used. Some of those went in my suitcase but the rest I put in the desk which will go in storage. I found more batteries so I got the battery tester out of the suitcase. I threw out the not-so-good ones and below. I rearranged the stuff in my suitcase to see if any more would fit in. Chris went to bed, so I posted to my blog and went to bed also.
I am trying to keep some semblance of normalcy in my day but that is getting progressively harder.

All packed to go

The alarm went off at 7 but I was already awake, surprised that I had slept. I mixed some essential oils into coconut oil and rubbed them on the scab above my ear. I sat at my laptop to delete e-mail, then jumped up to get some water. While I was drinking, I remembered the toilet brush and plunger. So I got plastic bags to tie around them and they went in the pile, as did the outdoor thermometer that I washed last night. I put some of the notions from my grandmother's sewing cabinet in a ziplock bag, then decided I had more important things to do. I exercised, and took a shower. I dressed in clothes so worn I can throw them away. I vacuumed the rugs to be shipped. Chris got the mail from yesterday. There was a card from MaryAnn, as well as my latest Swanson order. The packers started in the basement. I swept the floor and moved things out of their way. Chris moved boxes and we broke down the shelving units for packing. I swept parts of the floor as they were uncovered, dirty and dusty. Then I made breakfasts for the rest of the week so we could pack or ship the leftover ingredients. I remember a rush of packing here and there. Chris ordered pizza for the packers for lunch. Beverly called to say they missed me this morning at quilting and that she has a license plate for me. I went through my jewelry and put most of it in shipping. I store much of it in egg cartons so I think it will be ok. The lady packed my shoes which were next to the clothing box. I made her open the box so I could get them back out. We found a camera which was broken although not unusable. I told Chris we should keep it in case I get to go to the mud festival in Korea. I went through my spread sheet list to find a few more things. I picked out office supplies from the desk. I found batteries so I got out the battery tester. The low ones got thrown away. I packed up the tester, but kept finding more batteries and having to unpack it. Finally it went in the suitcase. I felt a little badly about adding things to the piles they were packing, but had we been ready sooner, the piles would have been that large anyway. Most of the additions were kitchen stuff. I took the packers downstairs and had them repack the TV box which I had filled with cutting mats, rulers, and such. After they left, I was emotionally and physically exhausted. It was hard to see the house so bare. We laid on the bed for awhile. Then Chris got up to check his e-mail. I checked mine and listened to last night's episode of TTAC, taking notes. I ate the last hard boiled egg, three carrots and some goat cheese on a paper plate. I listened to a brain wave entrainment CD on making change easy. At 8 I watched tonight's episode while catching up on Sudoku puzzles. Studies show that cannabis can help with cancer. It was after 10 when Chris went to bed, so I stopped the video a little early to post to my blog and go to bed.

Packing furiously

Last night that discolored skin above my ear started seeping. So I doused it with a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide. I was going to wait until the fizzing stopped, but it took too long so I just went to bed.
When I looked out in the morning, I saw trash by the road. I went out to pick it up. Then I swished and exercised, and drank a quart of water. I made up supplements for two weeks, knowing that when I finish them, this life will be over and I will be living in Korea. Shannon came over to get the leftover fabric and some toys. But her son asked for bubble wrap. Ha, ha. She offered to take anything else we did not want and the use of her truck. I packed a box with supplements and extracts, nuts, essential oils, etc to be mailed to Korea. The rest will be part of the shipment. I washed the water collection tubs. An agent called to see the house in 30 minutes. It turned out to be a lady Chris had met in Kwaj. But it was probably too many steps for her. I made up a first aid pack. A man from the company which will be putting our stuff in storage, came to tour the house and make notes. After he left, I laid out in the sun for 20 minutes. Then I laid out my clothes on the bed to choose: short sleeves, long sleeves, pants, nightgowns, socks. I packed my suitcase, then got a large box from basement and packed clothes for shipment. That went all day between other things. People came at three to see the house, and really liked all the space. I mentioned that the fridge and riding mower were for sale, but they, did not ask about them. Chris came back from the post office and Goodwill as they were leaving. Linda had given me a picture frame with three pics in it. I added the photo she sent and laid it in the shipment pile. I put pairs of shoes in separate bags, some for the suitcase and others for shipment. I had a bite to eat. I finished going through the dresser in the bedroom and the closet in the computer room. Chris packed up the desktop computer and all the peripherals. I washed a kidney, and then boiled it while I cleared a book case and started on my jewelry. My idea of jewelry is one pair of earrings which I wear on Sundays. So the rest could go in storage, but it wouldn't be safe there. I fished CD's from the players and reunited them with their cases whenever possible. When the kidney was done, Chris sliced it up for me and I fried the slices in coconut oil and sprinkled them with salt. It took a long time, so I listened to the next cancer audio – said that Nuremburg trial #6 was against two pharmaceutical companies who funded Germany in the war. The concentration camps were created to supply slave labor to build a pharmaceutical plant. I realized we were packing all our most useful stuff for shipment to Korea, and wished there were a loaner pack of essentials for the rest of the days we will be here. I found a broken jar of pennies, and wished I had left them with Kurt and Patrick. I chose some sheet music and music books to be shipped. I packed up stuff under the bathroom sink. Chris went to bed. I thought of a million things I had not gone through yet. I finished the audio while doing a Sudoku puzzle (am way behind) and posted to my blog. I might have gone to bed then, or I might have stayed up to pack a few last things before the packers come in the morning.
* My pillow doesn't look so comfy any more *

Stuff is on its way out

We got up early just because we were awake. I checked e-mail, and swished. I read e-mail so long that I ended up swishing for an hour. Then I had to rush to get my shower and make breakfast and get dressed. But we left in time to make the choir warm-up. People were glad to see us and I reassured them that we would be back next Sunday. I spoke to Shannon about toys we were getting rid of and she said she'd take them. She also offered to pick up the fabric and deliver it anywhere I'd like. Later she told me she knew someone who could use it. The choir director was uncertain about our anthem “Simple Praise”, but we got through it. I guess it was harvest Sunday because a wide array of vegetables was gathered near the altar. After the service, I helped Art pull loose cash out of the offering plate. He said he'd like to count at 4 this afternoon. We stayed a little late talking to Elaine and her husband. Then we drove home. Sheryl had responded to my earlier e-mail about black out fabric so I wrote that she should come by to get it. We had a bite for lunch. Then Sheryl's husband came to the door and I gave him the black out fabric that she had given me. I looked for donation sites for Goodwill or Salvation Army since Chris' friend was coming over with his truck. But they were not open on Sunday. Finally we figured there was no one there to tell us not to drop stuff off. We tested space bags with pillows and towels, to see if they leaked. Josh came over and we loaded stuff in his truck to go to a donation site. He and Chris took three truck loads to Goodwill. I posted to the quilt list that I had fabric to give away but it had a deadline of 9 am tomorrow. I weeded the main closet downstairs for fabric, wallpaper, and exercise equipment. Then I went to church to count money with Art. Another perfect count:) I also returned the pulpit cloth to the storage shelf. I got home by 5 and put all the stacks of fabric on the ping pong table. Three ladies from Renegades drove up. They went through all the fabric and pulled out what they wanted. That took about an hour. Then Chris came home from taking Josh out to eat. I had a bite to eat from leftovers. I drank a quart of water. I went through the clothes in the closet in the guest room. I pulled out clothing to pack the suitcase. I wondered what I would need for the next two months. I also packed stuff from the bathroom. Chris said to pack for one week and wear it eight times, doing laundry every week. But I don't think it is that simple, not knowing the weather, special events, etc. About 9 I sat down to watch the latest video from The Truth About Cancer (TTAC). They mentioned herbs and mushrooms that help prevent and/or heal cancer and help with the side effects of chemo and radiation for those who go that route. I posted to my blog, in anticipation of going to bed, knowing the bed was covered with clothes and space bags.
* Here is the first load, on its way to be donated *

Sunny Huntsville

Separately we were both awake, and when we discovered that, we got up. The blackout curtains in the hotel room did their job well because it seemed like the middle of the night, but it was 7:59. Chris took a shower while I exercised and ate breakfast and checked e-mail. Then I took a shower while he checked e-mail. After that, I checked out while he carried stuff down to the car. Finally we were on our way home. We talked much of the way, discussing what we heard from the cancer summit. He believed very little of it. When we got home, the sun was shining and I planned to lay out. Our neighbor had just felled a tree into our yard, and was cutting it up. So I did not uncover as much skin as I usually did. Then I drank some water, and went through the mail. I found two cards from Chris, and a nice card and picture from Linda. Then I started packing in the sewing room. I finished the fabric in the cabinets in the basement, then went through all the fabric in the cabinets in the garage. I had stacks and stacks of fabric to give away to someone who would come and get it. I e-mailed two people who hadn't yet had a chance to get some, hoping they come before we have to truck all the donation items away. Then I went through non-quilting fabric, and ribbons. I took a break to have supper. I ate the rest of the liver and a bowl of bean soup. I cleared some e-mail, then went back to sorting misc items. I asked Chris to move some heavy boxes for me. I played the next instalment of the cancer series. I sorted knits and wallpaper. I cleaned out the drawers in the sewing desk. I looked for my car title and a dongle with no luck. I pulled two pieces of silk from the silk box to take to Korea, and the rest to go in storage. I swept the floor and wiped shelves. I got quite dusty. When the video was over, I figured it was time to go to bed.
* another pic from the quilt show *

On our way home

Since Chris went to bed way before I did, he also got up way before I did. When I got up and went out to the den, he was sitting there on his laptop. I decided to start the day by exercising to the next Philosopher's Note but the trackpad wasn't working correctly. It acted like there were two fingers on the pad instead of one; changing the size of the font rather than scrolling around on the screen. I scrubbed at it with a sponge, but that did not solve the problem. A pop-up declared an update for Firefox, so I let it and then everything was ok. I exercised, and then made breakfast. Chris took a shower, and then I did. Cecily gave us each a gift from their cruise. Chris got a t-shirt which was so tightly packed into the shape of the ship, that it was nicely wrinkled when he put it on. Some people pay extra for wrinkles like that. I got a table runner/scarf that was hand stamped in Germany. We packed the car and bid his parents farewell. They were packing, too, so it all worked out. We followed the GPS out of town, only running into traffic once and then it was smooth sailing. We talked most of the way to our hotel in Bristol. I went out back to sit in the sun while Chris got on his laptop. When I came in, I watched the third video in the cancer documentary series. I paused it at 5 so we could go to dinner at the Japanese place. I got my usual plate of raw fish. Chris got the chicken tempura. The only downside of raw fish is that my dinner wasn't hot. But we got hot tea. When we got back, I finished the documentary. Chris checked out the TV schedule but there was nothing worth watching. I watched a few short videos as I cleaned out my e-mail. Then we took a break to be together. I noticed I was getting a cold sore, so I opened a tube of essential oil beads, and broke one open. I hoped it would help. I watched the fourth video when it came available at 9, taking notes. Chris went to bed, and when the video ended, I posted to my blog and went to bed as well.

Visiting his parents

I woke up hearing my alarm. I told myself it was only 7am in Alabama and tried to go back to sleep. Chris got up to take a shower. Then I got up and dressed. I exercised, and swished. I made breakfast and ate it while talking to my dad. Kurt got up and we talked until Dad left for the dentist. Patrick came over to peruse coins. Chris packed the car so we were ready to go when Dad got back at noon. Kurt and Patrick left to see a movie. Chris and I went to see his parents. Cecily got out lunch meat and cheese and lettuce. Chris made himself a sandwich. I rolled meat and cheese in lettuce leaves. The four of us talked most of the afternoon. I took a small break to stand outside in the sunlight. Chris and his dad cleaned his car. I talked to Cecily while she made supper – corned beef and cabbage. Cecily sent the guys to the grocery store for raspberry sorbet. We had a very good meal together. At 8:30 their friends skyped them. The connection wasn't working perfectly, but it sounded like they had a very amusing conversation. I tried calling Dad on skype, but he did not answer. I read e-mail, and then started listening to the second video in a documentary series on cancer. It was an hour and a half. Cecily went to bed, and then Chris. Al and I talked about health declines and getting older. Then I finished the documentary, learning about the anti-cancer effects of frankincense oil, and other things. I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Here is another quilt from the show *

The birthday boys (ahem - men)

I woke up in the middle of the night, and tried to go back to sleep. I heard Marie get up. Soon I decided that going to the bathroom might help. That woke up Chris. I went back to sleep. Chris got up early, but I stayed in bed until after the alarm. Then I got up and had breakfast while watching Chris on his laptop. We said goodbye to Michele when she came downstairs and left for work. Then I took a shower,. I read e-mail and exercised to a short video. Then we packed up the car, and said goodbye to Carol. Chris programmed the GPS for Richmond and we headed out. Sadly I had no quilt to work on. So we talked most of the way. We arrived at my dad's house at quarter after noon. I ate an egg, a carrot, some kimchi and some cheese I found in the fridge. I had to cut off the moldy part, but moldy isn't bad for cheese, is it? Chris and Dad got skype on Dad's laptop. I showed him how to use it and made him search for people to add to his contact list, and call Chris and take a call from Chris. Then he showed me a paper and tried to explain what was on it. He had signed up for an annuity and wanted me to read all the paperwork that came with it. I nearly fell asleep. He brought out a booklight that needed new batteries. Chris happened to have a tiny screwdriver on his Leatherman that allowed him to access the battery compartment. We noted the size of the button batteris that it had. Then Faye called to say she was on her way. William came over and Dad had some questions for him. Kevin came over, too. Kurt called to say he was at the restaurant. So Chris and I took Dad in our car. As we pulled away from the house, we could see William clipping weeds by the fence. But he must have moved fast, because by the time we got to the restaurant 5 minutes away, he was ahead of us in his truck. I was amazed. We all trooped into the Chinese buffet. Patrick walked in as Dad paid for everyone. Faye brought in a cake and gave it to the waitress along with a box of candles. Then we left the table to get food. I had some sushi, and lots of seafood things, plus broccoli and mushrooms. I wrote a check which I had forgotten to write earlier. When we had eaten, Faye signaled the waitress and she brought the cake back. She had not added the candles or assembled the staff to sing (which is what happened when we had a party there previously). Faye had cards for each of my brothers. Kurt added the candles and William lit them. Then they blew them out together. We sang Happy Birthday to them. Faye passed out pieces of the cake. Several of the family got ice cream to go with it. When we were done, we dispersed to our various vehicles and went back to the house. I gave Kurt his quilt back. Chris fell asleep on the couch. Kevin went home. Faye and I watched short videos on Youtube related to Firefly. Then she left for work – the night shift at the hospital. Patrick left, too, saying he would be back tomorrow. Kurt and I stayed up talking. Then Dad needed his help to print a form for claiming unclaimed funds. I sat to write up the events of the day as best I could remember them. I plan to post and go to bed, if I can find one.

Visiting Marie

Chris got up early and left for breakfast. I got up before the alarm went off and started my usual routine. I checked e-mail, exercised, and ate breakfast. Chris said I had a nightmare last night and I vaguely remembered it. Then I took a shower and got dressed. I spread out Kurt's quilt and marked a path for quilting in the middle of it We packed up and were out around 9. While he drove, I quilted, finishing before we arrived in DC. Following the GPS, we found Marie's house in four hours. She was there to greet us and help us carry in all the stuff we brought for Michele, plus the two cactus plants. I met Carol, the housekeeper. Then we sat and talked. Marie had to leave around 3. Carol put leashes on the dogs to take them for a walk. Chris and I decided to go along. But we were not far from the house when we saw Michele walking back from her job. So Carol went alone. We walked back with Michele and sat out on the deck. We chatted until we felt raindrops, then came in. Michele showed us a pic of the spider from the beach. Then Chris got out his laptop and showed the spider from his front door, and lots of other pics from Korea. When Marie came home, the three of us sat in the living room and continued to visit. A moving company called from Alabama. And left a message. Marie called them back to tell them they had the wrong number since we had not given out her number. But, they did want to talk to us. They had called Chris' parents, who had given them the number here. Carol cooked supper and it smelled really good. I was hungry since we did not have lunch. Around 5:30 she announced supper. We sat in the dining room to eat. We had broccoli, rice, and something like chicken marsala. Every bite got eaten. Marie joked that Carol would think she hadn't made enough. But after everyone left the table, I went back for a pear. Chris got one out of the food box for me. Then we sat in the living room to watch “The Last Kingdom”. I think it had been recorded on DVR. We had to fast forward through commercials. But it seemed to be an episode in an on-going story. It was a little gory. I sat beside Chris during the show. Then she skipped around, showing some Chopped, and some RED, and the very beginning of SHIELD. Marie and Michele headed up to bed. So Chris and I did, too. I sat in bed with my laptop to write to my blog before going to sleep.
* Here is another quilt from the show this past weekend. *

First day of trip

Chris got up at 6 to take his car to the dealership to have it serviced before our trip. I got up sometime before the alarm at 8. I was already online and exercising when it rang. I finished my exercised, swished and drank a quart of water. I called Chris and he was still at the dealership waiting on his car. By 9, he still wasn't home. The lady from the moving company arrived to see what we were shipping to Korea. She had a tablet and she typed in whatever I showed her. It assigned a weight and added it to a total. I showed her the guest room, and the computer and desk, and the basement stuff, and the mower in the garage, and the receiver and speaker system. I told her about the kitchen appliances, and clothing that hadn't been selected yet. She asked about fabric and we guestimated 20 boxes at first, but then, since it was only 3900, we added 10 more boxes. When she said they allowed 14 pounds per box, I told her it weighed way more than that. So she upped it, and still estimated 5000 pounds. She gave me her card and said to call her if we thought of anything else that would go. After she left, I started making 6 breakfasts. I ran out of supplements, so I had to make more of those, as well. Chris came home frustrated that it had taken so long at the dealership. He packed and took a shower. I ate one of the breakfasts, and packed the food box. I added kimchi and the fermented coconut milk. Then I washed up and put on fresh clothes. I shut down my computer and Chris packed the car. We left about 11:45. Since our ultimate destination was DC, we went an hour further than usual. But it seemed to go fast. We pulled eggs out of the food box for lunch. Then I put in my mouthguard. After awhile I worked on Kurt's quilt. Eventually the mouth guard became a problem so I took it out. The kimchi smell made me hungry. Then we arrived at our motel. We brought our suitcases and food inside. There was a Mexican restaurant next door, but it was closed. Chris got on his laptop. I ate a carrot and an egg with kimchi. I forgot to bring chop sticks or a fork. I opened the coffee creamer package to get the two stir sticks. But they did not work well as chop sticks, and bent. Chris offered me the pliers on his multi tool. Yuck! I ended up using a spoon. I got on my laptop. I read e-mail and placed my last Swanson's order to be delivered to the house. Chris had a sandwich. After a while, he set down his computer and turned on the TV to see if there was anything for us to watch. But there wasn't. We cuddled until he fell asleep. Then I got up to post to my blog before turning in for the night.
* Here is a pic from the quilt show yesterday *

The unexpected deadline

I woke up before the alarm. Apparently Chris woke up in the middle of the night but did not get out of bed so as not to wake me up. I did a quick check of e-mail, before exercising, swishing, etc. I took my shower and then ate breakfast. We were out the door by 10, and at church well before the choir warmed up. I was able to give the pastor's wife the pillow cases. We had toys for Shannon, but her son was sick so she did not come. Although our pastor was here, another pastor gave the sermon because it was consecration Sunday. He spoke about giving and tithing and did a great job. At the end of the service, the ushers handed out slips of paper for us to record our names and how much we promised to give next year. We did not know what to write, so I wrote TBD. After the service, there was a luncheon. We did not stay because we had so much to do. We went to Publix for food for dinner. When we got home, I ate a pear for lunch. Chris started the laundry. I wanted to wash Kurt's quilt and there wasn't time to finish quilting it. So I put two rows of basting through the unquilted part and placed it in the basket. Then Chris took me to the quilt show. He sat in the parking lot while I quickly toured the quilts. The moving people called while I was there, asking to schedule a day to preview what we wanted to ship. They said they could not wait until next Monday, so they would come tomorrow at 9. Yikes! There was an activity like Bingo where you get a card and mark off vendor's symbols. I did some of that. Jody remarked about my ribbon, and I just had to see. My hexecontahedron won Honorable Mention. I took some pics, but overall it was not a pic-worthy as the last show. Still, it was good to see so many people one more time. Then I hurried out to the parking lot to meet Chris. We came home, and I went through my XL list of things to ship to Korea. Chris helped me move the items to the guest room, and mark the ones that were too big. Then I raced back to church to count the offering. It was not as much as I thought and I was done in less than an hour. Everything added up the first time. I came home, and Chris drove me back to the exhibition hall to pick up my quilts. They called me just as I was opening the door, thinking I needed reminding. I figured there would be a line of people, but I just walked up to the table and was handed my quilts. When I got home, I fished out the judge's comments. For the hexecontahedron, she (Pepper Cory) had only positive comments. Chris had supper cooking, so we sat down to eat bowls of bean and chorizo stew. Then he ran the dishwasher. After the laundry finished, I packed my suitcase, certain I was forgetting something. I had stretchy pants that I did not want to wear, but Chris thought they looked ok. He checked the weather for Virginia and it seemed like pants weather. We went downstairs to look through a few piles. Then he went up and I sorted more fabric. I tried to take the top shelf off the shelving unit, but despite my best efforts, the poles would not come off. I put empty boxes in the Ship area to represent the fabric I would have packed if I had more time. Chris wanted a long phone cable and I looked all over for one, but we must have given it away. I drank a quart of water with vitamin C in it. Then we went to bed. I was very tired but could not sleep. Eventually I got up to post to my blog, hoping then sleep would find me. Jet lag isn't contagious, is it?
* Here is a photo I found in a stack of papers *

Sorting the fabric

Chris woke up in the middle of the night. He couldn't sleep so he got up to work on his computer. I heard him get up. I might have gone back to sleep a little bit, but soon I was awake too. So I got up to post to my blog and allow Firefox to update. Then I went back to bed. Eventually I went back to sleep. I heard my alarm go off in the morning, but did not get up. In fact, I think I slept until after 9. I got up to check on my computer. Newly updated, Firefox would not run. I had to reboot my computer, which meant that I lost all my IE open windows. But thankfully, I got all my Firefox windows back. I swished while heating up my mouthguard to reform it. I noticed yesterday that I clench a lot while sorting and packing and I needed to do something. The mouthguard was too tight. When I reformed it, I think it shrank during the cooling phase and was a little tight again, but this time only in the back molars because I did not bite down as hard as last time. I drank water while listening to a tapping audio. I exercised, and swished. I was juicing when Chris got up. I laid out in the sun but it kept going behind clouds. I made and ate breakfast. And then it was time to pack again. I went through my embroidery threads and selected the colors I was most likely to need. I cleared off the shelving under my cutting table and most of the boxes under there. I folded up the ironing board and packed the iron. Then I started on the fabric in the cabinets: mostly blenders. I made stacks of Storage, Ship, and Donate. The Ship piles went into boxes. When they were half full, I filled the rest of the space with batting so they wouldn't be super heavy. Chris made liver and onions for me for supper. He put it in the oven with his mother's canned tomatoes. It was very good. I ate two helpings while checking e-mail. I called my dad to tell him when we would arrive at his house. Then, because I was so tired, I suggested that we watch an episode of Castle. It turned out there were two episodes left and we watched both of them, then went to bed. There, by the light of the solar puff, we listened to love songs on his laptop. Finally I got up to post to my blog so I could sleep.
* these are the Storage piles - only reds, yellows, teals, whites, off-whites, some blues and some pinks so far - almost half of the blenders. *

Lunch with friends

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After I posted to my blog, I went downstairs again. I packed another drawer of the sewing desk. I packed up my crystals. When I came up to check the phone, there were two messages from my dad. Apparently I never heard the phone ring. He had called from the grocery store. But by the time I heard the messages, it was after 11 CST. I figured it was too late to call him in EST.
I packed a little more, but decided to stay upstairs and do some tapping so I wouldn't miss another phone call. It got very late and I wondered if the plane was delayed or if his phone stopped working. It was after midnight when I thought I heard a car door slam so I got up to check in case he had gotten a taxi. That's when the phone rang. Already wearing my coat because it was cold in the house, I grabbed my purse and headed out. There was hardly anyone on the road. I took the highway and put the pedal to the metal as they say. It gave the engine a good workout. When I got to the airport, I had to wait 5 minutes or so for him to get his luggage and come out. He wanted to drive and said he felt ok, so I let him. It was foggier on the way back than on the way there. He had a nice card for me when we got home and I gave him my dad's card to read. Then we pretty much just fell in bed and went to sleep.
In the morning, I was still tired and did not want to get up, but had to get ready. Chris took a pic of the skin above my ear so I could see why it was so itchy. He showed me pics of the spider on his front door. I tried to show him the spider by my dining room window, but it was gone! Not that I will miss it, but figured I could at least have the satisfaction of showing it to someone who can appreciate such things. I went out to the carport to transfer the leftover fabric from his car to mine. There had been a big spider there, too, but it was gone. The rain last night must have been intense. I exercised to a Philosopher's Notes video, then swished. I picked out some more fabric and put it in my car. Chris left to go to lunch with Josh. I drove to I Love Sushi. Dinah and Alice and Maryanne were sitting out front. We went in together and sat in the 'party room'. It was a booth with some tables added to it. Others showed up until there were 11 of us. Alice gave me cash for my car. (Hope I can find the title). The ladies signed a nice card that looked like a small clipboard and gave me a gift bag which contained a coffee cup with a little kit in it. I got teary reading the card and thinking how much I will miss them all. We ordered and I got the eel and the pickled seaweed. Dinah gave me part of her lunch that had seafood in it. I wish I had gotten a nice group picture. After we ate, I invited them to my car for fabric. Only a few looked. Alice took the rest with her to put out on Monday for the group. I came home and ate Dinah's California roll with kimchi. Then I called Dad to tell him I'd gotten his messages yesterday. As it turns out, I could have called him last night and not woken him up. After the call, I went into the basement to resume sorting and packing. Technically I don't have to pack, but once it is sorted, it had to go somewhere. I sorted piles and tubs on the shelving by the inner wall. When that shelf unit was clear, I stacked boxes to be shipped. I packed up my sewing machine and stuffed the case with fabric. I sorted thread, by color, not wanting to take it all, but still have a selection. I cleaned the thread area, which had what looked like construction debris in it. I cleaned off my sewing desk. Chris came down to announce that he had installed a particularly problematic piece of software/ I went up to properly show appreciation. I packed up my scissors, wrapping them in paper. Chris emptied a shelving unit of boxes of books and put it in the shipping area. I gave him things to stack on it. I guess we skipped supper. We went to bed early. Which is why I am up in the middle of the night, posting to my blog.

Last time for everything, right?

Something happened during the night that I had hoped would never happen again. Seriously, if I am old enough for gray hairs,why not menopause? Like all the other things I am doing for the last time this week, maybe that will be one of them. I tried to stay in bed late and relax because my heart rate was higher than it should have been. But thoughts of the day kept intruding, so I got up, turned stuff on, swished, exercised, etc. I listened to an audio while working today's Sudoku puzzle. I sipped some whey and found several pea-sized new kefir grains. I juiced a zucchini. I never thought of them as sweet, but the juice is. I loaded the selected fabrics and books into Chris' car. Last day for driving Chris' car? There weren't many ladies there, probably because of setting up the quilt show for this weekend. I brought in the box of fabric and books which was really heavy. I dragged in all the batting too. Christy said that one of the members makes dog beds. While I was at quilting, an agent called to ask when she could show the house. We decided on 5:30. I sat and talked until 1, then packed up what fabric and books remained. I hugged them goodbye and came home. I drank the rest of the whey. I checked e-mail. I washed up. I headed to my last massage. Traffic got stopped for a funeral procession. It was followed by an ambulance. So I was barely on time. She was ready for me. She asked what I wanted done, and gave me the usual, with a little cranial-sacral work at the end. We talked for awhile, then hugged goodbye. When I got home, I sniffed the air and said “Mmmm, smells like kimchi”. It was sitting out from Tuesday. But other people might not have the same appreciation of it that I do. So I ate some and put the rest in the fridge. Then I put some essential oils in the diffuser. I started a loaf of bread for Chris. I straightened the MBR. I dashed through the kitchen and bathrooms, I turned on all the lights. I hid certain things. I turned the AC down to 74. I met the agent outside, waiting for her client. We talked, and maybe I said too much. A lady arrived with two kids. We toured the house. She seemed to like the backyard. After they left, I made a salad. Then I ate some chocolate and dates, and finally some cashews. Time to pack. I packed some quilt backings in a box. I wrapped up long rulers and put them in the box with the mats. I sorted one drawer of sewing desk into ziplock bags. I rearranged boxes for better sorting near the back wall. I noticed that the AC register was dripping water. Chris called from the Dallas airport. He sounded really tired. Then I went back to packing. I selected an array of crochet hooks to pack. My watch stopped at 7:30. I noticed at 8:30 and set it ahead. It seemed to keep time after that. I threw a couple of kites into the ruler box. I found my self chewing my tongue and grinding my teeth as I worked. I came upstairs to drink a quart of water. I put vit c in it. I checked e-mail. I did a little tapping. I looked up dehydration and teeth grinding. Apparently the two are related in cats. I read that hydrotherapy (exposure to cold water) is effective for depression. I considered it but did not make plans to join the polar bear club. I wrote up my blog notes for the day and posted them, because I knew I wouldn't feel like it after picking Chris up from the airport and getting back after midnight.
* More rowbyrow pictures *

Packing and sorting

It was after midnight when I went to bed. But I did not sleep. There was a roach in the room which would fly over my head when I got quiet. I tried to catch it, but it hid whenever I turned the light on. I moved my pillow to the bottom of the bed. I did a lot of tapping. Sometime after the rustling stopped, I fell asleep. I could not understand why it was in the bedroom and not the kitchen.
I expected to sleep late the next morning, but for some reason, after the alarm went off, I could not, so I got up and enjoyed the sun streaming into the guest room. I turned on the laptop and router. I checked e-mail and then went on to detox (probably my last in America). I exercised, drybrushed, and rebounded. I listened to several audios. The sun was so bright that I laid out for 20 minutes. I took a shower and got dressed. Then I went outside to rake up pinecones and mow under the pine trees. There was a lot more raking I could have done, but needed to pack more. I juiced and listened to another audio. I realized this was my last week of almost normal. I will have to define a new normal when I get to Korea. I made and ate breakfast. I looked up how to use boric acid for eliminating roaches, not wanting to take them to Korea in our shipment. An article said Borax works too, so I spread that around the kitchen, bathrooms and basement and garage. I went through my quilt books to select some for Korea. I folded up my pile of strips and put them in a bag so I could get at my tub of green fabric. I selected some to take to quilting for that group to share. Steven skyped me to say he'd gotten the package that I sent. I finished the green fabrics and went through some purples, too. I came up to eat. I cut a tomato into wedges and topped them with goat cheese. I heated up the rest of the soup. I sorted cassettes and their cases while listening to an interview on lifestyle choices for avoiding toxins. I checked the Freecycle site and it looked like my posts had gone out, even though I have not seen them. After eating chocolate with dates, and cutting up the foil wrapper to sharpen my scissors, I went down to the garage. I pulled out the clothing patterns that I want to take. I piled some patterns to give away. I emptied another box in front of the quilt magazine bookcase. I found Michele's confirmation materials. I brought some things up to add to the suitcase pile. I checked e-mail and Chris sent one saying he was at the airport. It was after my bedtime, so I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Rowbyrow examples from the Tuesday group *


pf

25th anniversary

As a parting gift last night, I sent Chris a link to the song “Please Mr. Postman” and “We've only just begun” before I went to bed. I also swept the DE back out across the kitchen floor.
The next morning, I woke up early. Still in bed, I did some tapping and tried a little self-hypnosis. Then I laid on the guest bed to watch the sun come up. On a shelf, I found a box of old papers, from before I was married. I threw most of them away. I turned on the router and laptop. I drank a quart of water and exercised. I swept up the DE which had no footprints in it. I swished and showered. I made up a recipe of mouthwash from the Holistic Dental Health Summit. It's just filtered water and essential oils. I put some in a baby food jar to take to the dental office. I got dressed, and picked up a few more pieces of fabric from the basement. I put it all in my car, plus the fabric and magazines from Chris' car and drove to quilting. When I got there, I put the magazines and fabric on the table. The ladies swarmed over it. I talked to a few people and gave Beverly the jar of goat cheese. When I looked back, the table was empty except for a few magazines and some scraps. I talked to one lady who is having a book signing at the VBC on Sunday. Her daughter is in DC and she wants her to meet my daughter. I also talked to a second lady who was in Seoul years ago and we compared stories. When I left, I went to the Asian store for kimbap and kimchi. I proceeded directly to the dentist office. I worked on Kurt's quilt until my name was called. The hygienist gave me some mouthwash, but I told her I brought my own, and I swished with it. She was very talkative. She measured my gum pockets and said they were 1mm shallower than last time. I told her about having a bad taste in my mouth in the mornings and she said she could not find anything amiss. Then the dentist came in, but not the one I was used to. This was an older lady. She examined my teeth, and said everything looked fine. After she left, the first lady cleaned my teeth. I had to request non-fluoridated paste. Then, at the reception desk, I wished I had deep pockets. The bill for cleaning and visual check was $141. I paid the bill and went home. I ate my lunch, then got my quilts together and drove to the same church as yesterday. The women there were collecting entries for the quilt show. I turned my four submissions in. They said that the sleeve on the pulpit cloth had to be sewn down on both edges.. One lady had some thread, so I sat and did that. Then I went home. The sun was shining, so I laid in the sun for awhile. I don't know why the the few clouds in the sky clustered around the sun, so it was on and off the whole time. Then I came in to make breakfast and read e-mail. I worked on the pillowcases downstairs until the phone rang. It was William fishing for information on when we were leaving. I went back to the last pillow case. I had sewn it wrong side to right side and had to rip. Then I sewed it right and ironed it. I came up to see if there were any messages from Chris. I used Spray and Wash on kimchi stains. I oiled my hair. I took my supplements with whey. When I combined two jars of it, it bubbled! Lots of probiotic action. I killed a roach in the bathroom and dropped him in the toilet. Big guy. Must have been into my superfoods. I called Dad to thank him for the card. I sorted as we talked. I got the old TV box from the garage and swept it out. I put my cutting mats inside. I went through my stack of patterns and printouts. I made sure all the papers were in plastic sleeves. I packed a paper box with fruit fabric and the mondo bag pattern, and the yellow project. I put the laundry in the washer. I sorted through several drawers of sewing and craft stuff. I rifled through stacks of magazines and books. I heard the skype call and ran upstairs to talk to Chris. He was calling late and did not have long to talk before he had to go. I put the laundry in the dryer. It was time for bed, but I had to wait until it was done, so I watched an episode of Castle. Then I pulled the laundry from the dryer and hung up my dress. I posted to my blog and went to bed.
Today was our 25th anniversary. Not only did we not spend it together, since we were in different time zones, we spent it on different days, sort of.
* These are the pillow cases I finished tonight. *