Monday, September 27, 2010

Rainy Day Plus Thoughts on This & That


Finally, we had a wonderful day of a gentle rain here in northern Georgia yesterday. It had been close to three weeks since our last rain. Temperatures have been in the low 90s and sometimes very humid, especially in the late afternoon. Looks like it will rain most of today, too. I have about a dozen plants to put into the ground. Tomorrow will be planting day.

I have been walking Sam first thing in the morning, before the sun got too high in the sky. We have increased our walks - one end of the subdivision in the morning (very hilly) and the other end in the early afternoon. I'm still out of breath going up that first hill each day, but it is slowly getting easier to climb. Since our morning walks are in more populated area, I have been meeting more people and their dogs. I think most homes here have at least one dog! It is nice to walk and wave and say, "Good Morning!" to my neighbors. This rarely, if ever, happened in Milwaukee. People driving by always wave, too. Ha! Seems the only waves I got from drivers in Milwaukee were the one finger kind!

I have been doing more and more quilting. I finished the Underground Railroad quilt and am plugging away at Jeannie's quilt - only 6 more blocks to go! I started hand sewing binding on quilts evenings, too. But - only small wall hangings as it is just to hot to sit and hand sew anything bigger. The cord that runs from my camera to my computer so I can download pictures was accidentally slammed in the drawer and sliced, so no pictures to post for now. Tomorrow I will go get a replacement.

Electrical work was completed in my new house. Beautiful detailing in my home, but the lighting was awful. Recessed lights are now in my kitchen and hallway along with one over the bath tub in the guest bathroom. The pantry now has a light fixture in it - no more groping in the dark for a can of beans. I need to purchase a fixture for over the kitchen table, but I can save up for it. After years of sitting in my basement in Milwaukee, the antique chandelier is hung in the dining room now, giving me much joy every evening when I turn it on and dim it. The prisms reflect off the ceiling and it is so pretty. I will post a blog entryabout the chandelier as soon as I can post pictures. Once some drywall patch work is completed in the kitchen, it will be painted a cheery yellow and my roman blinds will be hung. I am looking for a new shower curtain for the guest bathroom and then that room will painted. I'm so tired of the "builder's beige" on all my walls! Things are coming together. I love my house.

Next month I will actively start looking for a part-time job. Mainly to help with finances, but also to give me some structure. I am a people person and am finding a need to be around people more than I am now.

Overall, I am doing OK. I am so very thankful for my dog, Sam - he really keeps me going! I miss Phil. I miss my dog, Lucy Lou. I miss my dog - sweet, little Gracie (still cry over her once a day or so). I am not sleeping well at all, but I function. I get up, walk, shower, eat, work on projects, am meeting friends - I think I look and act pretty normal. But, I know I am very depressed. I've had too many losses in a short time. Too many adjustments - selling my house in Milwaukee, purchasing this house, moving, living in a temporary apartment while I still worked full time, driving back forth 5 times (871 miles each way), retirement and saying good bye to friends and a place I have lived all my life - whoosh! It's a lot!

But, there is so much joy in life too. I love watching the birds at my three feeding stations. The humming birds are getting scarce - living for warmer climates, but other birds are arriving. The plants I have managed to plant are thriving. I am making friends and becoming more active in my area. I am in a book discussion group. I am helping to plan a Halloween party for both the kids and adults on my street. I will start hiking now that the weather is cooling down. Sam - silly, goofy, Sam has me laughing all of the time. He is such a good dog.

Life moves on and I plan to move on with it. It all takes time and I realize that. Time. Things are good and will get better. This, too, shall pass.

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