Saturday June 9th
(jump earlier)
10 Days 'Til Texas
Ten days from now I'll be picking up the cats at the vet, loading them in the car along with Son and Sweetie and all the other things that won't be able to go in the moving van, and heading on out of Arkansas. It is kind of strange what we have to take with us. All my nail polish, and polish remover, ammunition and my shotgun, a fire extinguisher, and lots of personal items I don't want to leave unattended. I've decided to leave all the aerosol cans and cleaning products here for the cleaning crew. I guess it is better than throwing them out.
The cats will be sedated, but I will have a litter box, water bowl and fresh water if they wake up. Laptop for Son to play on and all smaller gadgets will be in my backpack. Got a Garmin Nuvi 350 to help lead the way and get me around town once I get there.
This house is getting pretty empty and it echos when you talk. I am giving most of my stuff away because it won't be needed moving in with Sweetie. Some things have yet to be addressed as the tree people have not shown up and the final pickup of large items is to be made by Niece, one of the least reliable family members. I have a feeling this is going to be very nerve wracking.
The Realtors have already put up the "For Lease" sign and listed the house on their site. I went to the store the other morning and came home to find the sign up...weird. The day before the sign went up some guy came to the door asking if I rented this house and I said that I owned it. It didn't occur to me until later to ask "who the hell are you and why are you asking these personal questions?" Oh well.
In the last week since school let out my car has been shot twice with paintball guns. What a freaking mess. Some might recall that when my car was less than a month old someone shot it with a pellet gun and it was right after school let out. That spot is now all rusted out. It will be nice to have a safe place to park in my new home.
Tomorrow Sis2 and I are going to go do a little shopping and maybe have lunch. It will be the 2nd to last weekend for us to do that and next weekend will be super busy. My friend is having a dinner/going away party for me next Saturday night. The rest of the weekend will be just nuts with last minute stuff to do. The family wants to do something too, but they expect me have it here or plan where and when. That ain't happening...the best I can do is agree to meet at Cafe Prego some night for dinner. |
posted Saturday June 9th, @09:23PM
Friday June 1st
(jump earlier later)
Here is yesterday's email to boyfriend:
I spent all morning dealing with rotting food and mopping up the puddle that keeps appearing on the kitchen floor. Then go to Sears and buy the fridge, Kroger to get a foam cooler and ice, come home bring that stuff in and shuffle around more food.
The trash had been emptied so I looked in the can and the whole thing is crawling with maggots and still smells just as bad because there is a lump of rotting chicken guts in there. I come inside to get the bleach and go back out and pour the bleach in the can and start the hose, fill it up halfway to let it soak. Come back inside...wait a minute, the door is locked. Go to the front door and it is locked too.
I had my cell phone in my pocket so I call SIS, not home. Try her cell, doesn't answer, call directory info for her work number and call there, but she is off today. I am being eaten alive by mosquitoes and my cell battery is dwindling away. I can't fit through the pet door and I contemplate breaking a window, but I am wearing shorts.
After about 75 minutes and calling SIS a couple more times I decide to go study the pet door. I kneel down and try to reach the lock, but not even close. Call SIS again...go sit in the car for a minute to rest. I finally decide to sit/lay with my back to the pet door and try reaching in backwards. Bingo! I'm in.
Now I am covered with filth, mosquito bites, spider webs, and feel like the smell of the trash can is in my nose hairs and I'm crawling with maggots. Oh, and the puddle is back under the fridge.
How is your day going babe?
Love,
Me
____________________________________________________________
So now it is Friday and I am on my 3rd day without a refrigerator and the new one won't be delivered until tomorrow evening.
Only 18 days left in AR!!! |
posted Friday June 1st, @08:20PM
Monday May 28th
(jump earlier later)
Frustrated and Overwhelmed
I thought the tree thing was going to work out and then I came home to find a note from Entergy saying their tree people will be coming in June, but it is possible that the tree is too far gone for an ordinary tree service to handle.
My refrigerator has been acting strange. The freezer is fine, but the fridge part is not keeping things very cold. Some days it is fine and others it requires ice in a glass of milk. I am leaving it here, but do I need to replace it? I don't know. I had a whole frozen chicken in there and something like that normally takes 3-4 days to defrost. Within 36 hours it was defrosted and I didn't even notice in time to cook it. Now it is in the trash can outside stinking to high heaven and trash pick up won't be until Thursday this week...sigh...
There are several pieces of furniture my family has asked for because I don't plan on taking them. Week after week I ask that they come and get them or give me a firm pick up date. Now it is only 3 weeks until moving date and no firm date yet. I have given them until next Sunday evening before I list everything on freecycle.org. What else can I do? I can't let this drag out until the last day.
My adorable man is going through similar issues. He is trying to make room for Son and I, but has years worth of stuff packed into every nook and cranny. It just gets to the point where you look at an item and think it has value and you should keep it and then around the 4th time you look at it you just think "crap, how do I dispose of this?". You end up looking at stuff so many times it loses meaning.
Tomorrow Son is graduating from middle school with honors. I am very proud of him. I went and bought him some new slacks and a shirt today because he has already grown out of his 32 length and needs a 34. I bought him a zipper tie. This sounds very odd, but it looks just like a normal tie and neither he nor I know how to tie a tie. His dad died before he would have ever needed a tie. I never learned to do it because I never had any men in my life that wore ties. He looks very handsome.
Catfish had her second blood test and she still shows high normal for thyroid issues. I just need to continue giving her blood pressure meds and keep an eye on her.
This week will be more packing and trashing, but the trash can is full(and stinky). I will be calling the sanitation dept. to ask about extra trash pick up. |
posted Monday May 28th, @06:58PM
Wednesday May 16th
(jump earlier later)
Dead Tree Removal
I wonder how much it costs to have a (big) dead tree removed?
Last night a neighbor that lives behind me came pounding at my door at 8:00 PM. I have never met this person before, but he looked harmless enough so I answered the door. He says there is a dead pine tree at the back of my property that looks like it is going to fall over and crush power lines, his house, my house, my storage shed, or all of the above. I told him I would address the situation.
Today I called the power company and they said they would come and take a look and trim it if necessary, but I would be responsible for removal if required. Just what I need with all the moving expenses, being unemployed, and so on. I know that several years ago the power company came to my door and said they wanted to remove that tree and I said by all means have at it. They never did anything.
I know I am remiss in following up, but I can't really see the tree without going outside and behind the shed. From the windows or patio all the other trees block the view. Out of sight, out of mind is the appropriate phrase for this situation.
Entergy is coming on Monday and after I find out what they are planning on doing or not doing I will call several tree services for an estimate...sigh. |
posted Wednesday May 16th, @05:53PM
Sunday May 13th
(jump earlier later)
Flank Steak-Yum!
I like it even better than filet mignon. I am so hungry right now after eating only some eggbeaters and an apple today. I marinated a small flank steak this morning and it is on the Weber grill right now, along with some zucchini I soaked in balsamic vinaigrette. The following marinade is absolutely the best I ever tasted for cuts of steak like flank and London broil. It was in the recipe booklet that came with my grill and I have never seen it on the website.
1/2 C. vegetable oil (I use olive)
1/3 C. soy sauce (I use lite)
1/4 C red wine vinegar
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. pepper
This will be plenty for 2 lbs of meat and it should marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Going to eat now |
posted Sunday May 13th, @08:37PM
Saturday May 5th
(jump earlier later)
We Have a Winner!
United Van Lines will be my mover. They gave me a firm quote with insurance included and stated up front that they would weigh the truck and the price would go down if it weighed less than the estimate. This is crucial because looking at the crib sheets these movers use to estimate the weights are just absurd. I can't recall the details now, but it was just ridiculous. I am also eliminating stuff on a daily basis. I have decided to not bring any more hanging clothes than what will fit in the three wardrobe boxes I bought. I hardly wear any of them anyway.
The realty company guy came by this week and gave me some paperwork to fill out. He thinks I can rent this house for twice what my mortgage payment is. I kind of doubt that, but it would be fine with me to just make the payment and the property management fee. The fact that they will handle getting all the necessary repairs done is of the utmost importance. I have no luck with contractors. I will pay for it and be done with it.
Son is pretty mute about the moving thing. He never mentions it and only says something when my goofy sister starts in on it. I think the most important thing is that he will have a male role model to look up to. He is 14 now and that is a crucial time.
Tonight I was standing at the stove cooking dinner and Son must of smelled the food. He came in from his room and stood there while I lifted every pot lid and opened the oven for his inspection. Once the inspection was done he bowed to me and went back to his room, all without a word spoken.  |
posted Saturday May 5th, @11:13PM
Saturday April 28th
(jump earlier later)
Random Thoughts on the Move and Preparing to Be a Landlord.
Today we dragged a ton of stuff to the curb with a "FREE" sign.
Mini Trampoline (Urban Rebounder) with instructional videos
2 of those Ab Roller things.
A large trash can filled with rakes, shovels, a long pole-type tree trimmer
Large colorful storage bins previously used for toys.
Huge heavy duty extension cords (3)
Lawn chairs
Machetes, axes, sledge hammer, rubber mallet, pry bar
Full cans/containers of paint thinner, car washing fluid.
An air compressor
A thing to charge car batteries
A shop vac
5 or six large planters and hanging planters
A garden cart (similar to a wheelbarrow, but it has a place for your beer can and some tools)
A milk crate filled with brand new paint brushes, liquid nails, and assorted other unopened odds and ends.
A queen size bed frame
A large TV stand
There was more, but I can't think of it.
Now everything but the exercise equipment is gone. I plan to leave it out there all night and tomorrow. We also took a large tackle box filled with hooks, lures, and line to my other neighbor (who is not speaking to me) and left it on his porch with a note. He goes fishing almost every weekend.
This has been a pretty good day as far as getting rid of stuff goes. Yay! |
posted Saturday April 28th, @06:11PM
Friday April 27th
(jump earlier later)
Freecycle.org:
I love using freecycle.org to get rid of stuff I am too lazy to sell. God knows I have a butt load of stuff to offer now that I am moving, but I'm not sure how to conduct the transaction. It always drives me absolutely nuts and I vow I will never do it again.
Yesterday I gave a lawn mower, weed eater, and a gas grill to a Katrina family now relocated here, but she was 3 hours late showing up and that really started to mess up my dinner preparation and all. I had to tell my son to fix himself a frozen meal.
Today, 7 hours ago, I posted a 7 ft. pre-lit artificial Xmas tree. Within 5 minutes I get a request and reply to his email with my address and cell phone number. I have never heard back from him. In the meantime, I have 10 more requests and they keep coming. How long do I wait to hear from the first guy? I replied to the others telling them their place in line and that I would let them know what happens, but this just seems like too much work to keep replying and waiting.
I hesitate to post my address with the initial offering and just say the item is at the curb or on the porch. Maybe I could just put in the listing where the item will be and reply to each email with the address.
I finally got tired of waiting and emailed the 2nd in line and she actually came within an hour. I told her it would be on the porch so Son and I had to drag it from the storage shed at the back of my property out to the front porch. The box ripped apart and it was a mess by the time we got it up front. Not knowing if she would even show up or show up with someone to help, I felt obligated to get it to the front of the house.
Thankfully, most of my other stuff is small and/or not very heavy. I might just stick it outside with a sign instead of dealing with the freecycle hassle. |
posted Friday April 27th, @11:23PM
(jump earlier later)
Roofers:
My bathroom is leaking and has on and off for years. I had it repaired in 2002 and again in 2004 by the same man. This time I decided to find someone else and picked a few companies from the BBB site. I also emailed this place that has several contractors bid on your job.
I didn't hear from anyone I called directly, but got an email from that bidding deal and they sent someone out...very promptly, I might add. However, the person who shows up is the exact same man who "fixed" my problem in 2002 and 2004. The minute I saw him I recognized him by the cowboy hat and boots and said "you've been here before". "Yes'm" he replies and climbs up on the roof and clomps around for a bit. Then he says someone will email me an estimate.
A few days later I got the estimate and never replied to the woman. She writes back asking if I got it and I explained that yes, I did and no, I was not interested in that the man she sent here was the same man who did not fix it the last two times. The estimate was for $895.
Another 3-4 days goes by and one of the folks I called early on in this ordeal calls me and comes by the very next day. He went up there and took digital pictures of the problem and showed them to me and said it would be $250 to fix. It seems that this one valley in the roof gets packed in with debris and thus the rain has nowhere to go except through the roof into my bathroom. He is going to have his crew clean off the whole roof, put in new pipe flashing, and seal it off and then clean up the debris that is blown off the roof.
Yay! |
posted Friday April 27th, @11:10PM
(jump earlier later)
Contractors (in my experience) don't give a rat's ass about keeping appointments. My sister's best friend's mother ( ) does tile work and hardwood floors. I asked sis to ask her if she was interested in a job and if so, give her my number. She eventually called and we talked and realized she has been doing work every week at my neighbor's house and it would be no big deal for her to walk over and give me an estimate. She promised to come on Monday.
Monday she never shows up at all. Tuesday she is next door, but does not call me or come by and ditto for Wednesday, and Thursday. She is there all day and not a peep. I called Sis and said I was no longer interested in her services, but she needn't call her. If I ever hear from her I will tell her myself. |
posted Friday April 27th, @10:53PM
Saturday April 14th
(jump earlier later)
My sweet baby must have fallen asleep in his chair...wish I was there to rub his head and snuggle. ***update*** not asleep, messing with the Wii.
I turned off my Vonage tonight. How odd to not have the phone ringing! Today a man called and kept saying "Mrs. Coombs, Mrs. Coombs, Mrs. Coombs?" over and over again. I had to shout "This is Mrs. Dixon" to get him to shut up. I have had the same phone number for all of my 18 or so years in Arkansas. The folks back home in California knew this number and now it is no longer. I tried to alert everyone via email, but half the people I know never read their email if they even have email. I find that incredible in this day and age.
Packing is moving along...started a stack for things not for storage. It gets kind of weird now because I have to figure out what I will or will not use between now and then and when I think I won't use something, I need it. I needed a vase for Easter and ended up putting flowers in a pitcher. Oh well, no matter...
There was a time where I thought my life was horrible and sad and there was no future worth thinking about. That is now so far from the truth. I have nothing but good things to look forward to. My son will be happy and productive and significant...that's all I ask of him and of myself.
Goodnight all.
P.s. Catfish (the blind cat) has decided her place in life is on my chest any time I am not standing up. This is getting kind of annoying. |
posted Saturday April 14th, @01:52AM
Wednesday April 4th
(jump earlier later)
Back from Houston and we had a nice time. We drove to San Antonio for 2 days and visited the Alamo and Riverwalk. We also saw a 3D Imax movie (Deep Sea), which was incredible. Son got to scope out the house and his future bedroom. It was a nice visit.
Back on the home (AR) front...I have been roped into Easter dinner with the added problem of #1 Niece bringing her roommate who does not eat meat and is allergic to dairy. Sis will be bringing cheese grits, asparagus, and strawberry shortcake. I will bake a ham and some oven-baked potatoes. I will also make a black bean salad that I love and mix in some brown rice. I bought a tiny boneless leg of lamb that I may butterfly and grill. The original clan from Los Angeles always had lamb, roasted potatoes, and asparagus for Easter. We never even heard of grits, cheese or otherwise, back in L.A. This Easter will be the last holiday meal that I host and prepare. I wonder what will go on the rest of the year? No telling.
Today my California niece and I were talking about the family dynamics. When I leave to go to TX it will be a big change for those still here in AR. I am the matriarch of the family, both east and west, since my mother died. CA niece is sort of the leader of the west coast clan. She said that if I ever returned to CA I would take up her position and she would welcome that.
I spent hours going through boxes of photos today. I swear, my late husband and his family took more photos than you would believe. I have 4 boxes of loose photos and 5 albums full. Step-daughter has already taken some with her. I have tossed all duplicates and am now going through and tossing the poor quality ones. The ancient photos of unrecognizable ancestors are also being tossed. With no one left to tell us who these people are or why they are important, I don't see a point in keeping them. |
posted Wednesday April 4th, @06:14PM
Saturday March 24th
(jump earlier later)
| I know that last year when I went on vacation I was able to make reservations to use the security parking lot at the airport. I went to the website and there is no longer an option to make reservations. This is spring break and it may get full. A cab will have to do...bummer. |
posted Saturday March 24th, @10:54PM
Friday March 23rd
(jump earlier later)
Catfish (my cat) is blind and I never knew it. I took her to the vet today because of constant vomiting. She has a heart murmur, hypertension, and possible thyroid disease...and she is blind.
Since I rescued her eleven years ago she has always been strange in that she never closes her eyes. It freaks most people out, but I never minded it. She was just Catfish. She runs around and plays and sleeps and eats and pukes just like any other cat except that she pukes a lot more. It does not look good for Catfish. 
Six months ago I had a dog (Willie) and 4 cats (Mulder, Harry, Hagrid, and Catfish). Now I have only Catfish and Hagrid and probably not Catfish for too much longer. May Willie, Harry, and Mulder rest in peace.
|
posted Friday March 23rd, @06:46PM
Sunday March 18th
(jump earlier later)
| I am a miner for a "Heart of Gold" and I most certainly have found one. |
posted Sunday March 18th, @10:43PM
Wednesday March 14th
(jump earlier later)
Today I gave my dining room set to a young family with six children under 10. They did not have a place they could all sit for a meal together and mine seated 6 or 8 with the drop-leaf in. I won't need it in Houston. They tried to offer me money for it, but I declined. The dining room looks pretty goofy with nothing but a card table with only 3 chairs. Husband took one to some flying event and never brought it home.
I sold 7 books on ebay and donated another 15 to the library. That about does it for the books that I am willing to sell/donate. Clothing and shoes will be the next hurdle. I am so tired of stuff and really want to simplify my life. Why should I keep clothes that I haven't worn in years or never worn at all? I will take those down to the Savers store to donate.
Gadgets will be something to consider. Both me and DBF are major gadget geeks so I will probably be taking all of those.
ETA: Step-daughter has just been accepted to PhD school and is trying to decide if she wants to do that or start a job. |
posted Wednesday March 14th, @11:02PM
Wednesday March 7th
(jump earlier later)
Selling books on ebay is a pain and I hate to throw them away. I have probably donated 200 books to the library already and I'm pretty sure they are sick of me. Oh well, I'll just keep chipping away at these shelves so it doesn't become too overwhelming. The rest will go to freecycle along with the VHS tapes we have.
For anyone who has a networked Tivo--the Tivo and Amazon partnership went live today and they are giving you $15 worth of free downloads when you register your Tivo at Amazon. I rented a movie today for $3.99, but you can buy them too. Netflix just doesn't work out for me because I rarely watch movies and it would be a waste. I actually begin to feel pressured and anxious if I have a movie I have to watch and return. With this, you have 30 days to watch the movie, but there is a catch. You have to watch it within 24 hours if you start the movie. It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to decide I want to watch the movie. |
posted Wednesday March 7th, @05:58PM
Sunday March 4th
(jump earlier later)
I like crispy chicken skin
I don't think I've ever smelled anything better than the chicken I have in the crockpot right now. Kroger has whole chickens for $.49 lb. (limit 3) and I bought 3 this morning. I stuffed one with lemon wedges, sprigs of thyme and rosemary, and seasoned it with salt and pepper and then put it in the crockpot on top of chopped carrots, onion, and celery. It is done now. I am going to strain the juices and make some gravy for mashed potatoes. I have decided this method of cooking a chicken is better for me because there is no desire to eat the skin. If I roasted the chicken I would want to eat all the skin....arrgghhh, I love crispy chicken skin.
Today I cleaned every last piece of stuff (other than boxes required for moving) out of my storage shed and put it on the curb to be picked up tomorrow. Before I even got back in the house and sat down to wipe my sweaty brow there were two cars full of people looking at and taking stuff. That is fine with me because I was going to post something on freecycle.org to alert folks there was stuff to be had. Now I won't need to do that.
I took all the pictures and art off the living room walls and wrapped them in bubble wrap and boxed them up. All of my cookbooks are packed up. I can't figure out what to do with these children's books that came from my late husband's parents. There are copies of Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, and some children's literature collections dating back to the early 1900s.
Son has become infatuated with music from my era. I had to buy him his own flash drive to copy my music on to his computer. He LOVES Genesis, The Who, Queen, Crosby, Stills, Nash, + Young, Led Zeppelin, and so on.
Mmmm, got to go now....'Supper's Ready'
|
posted Sunday March 4th, @07:42PM
Wednesday February 28th
(jump earlier later)
The pictured item is a military field desk. I'm not sure what to do with it.
Son and are are going to visit DBF and our new home for spring break and we will all be going on a mini vacation to San Antonio during that week. We will go to Sea World and see the Riverwalk and possibly The Alamo. That should be fun...can't wait. |
posted Wednesday February 28th, @05:25PM
Sunday February 25th
(jump earlier later)
Did I mention that I lost my job? My last day was 10/31/06, after 16 + years at August House. The new regime closed down the Little Rock office when the original owners decided to retire. As it was so close to the holidays and I had been through the wringer not knowing if I would still have a job or not, I decided to take the rest of the year off and enjoy the holidays.
After the new year, I started looking for work and went on several interviews that looked promising. It finally sunk in that I should not be looking for work in Little Rock when I am moving to Texas in May or June. It would be unethical to take a job and have the employer invest time and money to train me only to move within a few months.
I would look for some temp. jobs, but now I am focusing on trashing, sorting, and packing things. I am consulting with DBF before tossing any kind of household item or tools that we might need in our combined households.
Son and I are excited about the move, but will miss our friends and family. I have no doubts at all that I am doing what is best for myself and Son. Son loves DBF and looks up to him. They enjoy grossing each other out and horsing around and that makes me happy to see Son having a good man to interact with. |
posted Sunday February 25th, @05:14PM
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maggie2101