MISSING

Today as I start the big move, I truly miss my husband. He was so organized, he would have had everything packed, labelled and sorted by room weeks before the move. Me? Well, I still have loads of packing to do and have realized that the "widow's fog" tends to rear it's head at the most inconvenient times. Needless to say, I haven't booked a moving company yet as I can't for the life of me get it through my head what they need to move and what I can move by myself. My daughter and I had a good chat last night and so today some people in shining armour will arrive - my youngest Son, my daughter and my daughter-in-law. This morning the fog has lifted and my plan is to get everything I possibly can out today. Then, hopefully by late this afternoon I will know just what the movers will have to take. I have another issue in that I am not really familiar with the area I am moving to and have taken the steps to have my new appliances delivered as far as the town just down the way. From there, I am not certain how I will get them from there to my place. I am hoping that my real estate agent who has lived there all her life will have an idea of someone out there. So now my sewing room looks like this.

By the end of the day, it should be totally empty and some other rooms should be totally empty.

Enjoy the weekend all.

Jean

WHERE ON EARTH ARE WE GOING

That is what I feel like. I finally sold my condo. It took 10 months, but it is in the country so was to be expected. I am planning to stay in the country, but I want elbow room. I want a yard to plant a garden, I want trees, I want a fire pit, I want, I want, I want. I have been looking, but in my quest to be more fiscally responsible, I don't want to go to the top of my price range. Again with the wants - I want to travel, I want to go camping in a motor home, I want to take the grands away on trips, I want to be able to have enough to live until 90. I may not live that long, but what if I do? With the markets the way they are, with the world constantly changing, who knows how much we will truly need. I know a lot of people who planned for taking out 4% per year and then have the government pension to help. But now from what I have been reading, it is now 2% they want us to take out and the government pension plan, old age pension and the supplement may not be there until all the boomers are gone. So, if I plan to have enough to live till 90, then if I live to 80 or 85 I won't have to be too concerned......I hope. I don't think anyone knows for sure, look at the great depression, look at the late seventies/early eighties, the early nineties, then of course now. I am so happy that we grew up very poor. When you do with out a lot of things and you go through life with that mentality, you, in the end, have been doing all the things like having a garden, canning, freezing and drying food that the younger people are struggling to learn. Also learning to shop at thrift stores or stores that are more economical and learning how to fix things around the "old homestead" instead of just going and buying new. I am so proud of the way these young people want to learn the "old" ways and then put a new spin on them.

My daughter has always called me the "herbal tea hippie" and I have always been proud of that moniker. Yesterday to treat myself after selling my house I had a Starbuck's coffee. The gal who was serving me had the most healthy head of hair. When I commented on it she said "My mom was a hippie, so we ate very healthy". I was glad to hear that and I could also hear in her voice it was something she was proud of and continued into her own life. I think it is wonderful when I see younger people who want to have a garden, who want to have chickens in their back yard, who only buy at the thrift store and who are living out their down to earth life.

I know there is always the other side of the coin that says - Where would the world be if people didn't buy new things. I realize that the world is like that, but for myself I believe that lifestyle has contributed to the world problems. Everyone wants more, bigger, better. To me yes, we need new, but I think we don't need the so much throw away. I think that if everyone started buying less, putting down the technology and commit to communicate more face-to-face, our world would evolve into something where people would be able to slow down, communicate more and through doing things in a less harried way, there would be less errors in the mass production of food, medicines etc. Society would be able to breathe.

Anyway, this was not what I was going to post, but I think it has been inside of me for awhile and it helps to put down my thoughts.

I have so much going on right now and there is way more to come this summer. I feel almost like one of those semis that moves the wide loads. I think I should wear a sign saying "Wide Load". For those that know me, it wouldn't be too far off the mark from my physical appearance, so for those, take it and run. I gladly await to see what family jokes will come of this and at what point someone will present me with the Wide Load sign. LOL

It is good to laugh -at ourselves, our circumstances, and life. God made us with the ability to laugh so lets do it.

God is Good All the Time!
Jean

MOVING

Not my blog, but my life. I finally sold my house. It took 10 months. Due to it being a condo in the country and the market is farmers who firmly believe they can work the farm just one more year. Gotta love their perseverance! The Canadian government has changed the mortgage rules, so there are fewer houses on the market but only a bit less people looking. So, there is a bidding war on almost every place and that is whether it is in the city or the country. I have been looking, but feel I need to have at least 3 houses in mind in order to even get close at getting one. I have two in mind. One is far enough out of the city that I won't have to face a bidding war. Problems are it is only two bedrooms and no garage. I would also need to replace the furnace, the hot water tank and put in an air conditioner as well as put in a garage. I have looked at this one twice before, but due to the horrendous  amount of snow we had, I never saw the pad for a garage. So that will make it easier to put in a garage. The cosmetic upgrades have all been done i.e. flooring, cupboards etc.  The second one would be a good investment property. Where is is situated is in a bedroom community so the minute I upgrade anything, my investment would go up. This one does not need too much - new shingles, two of the three bathrooms need all new fixtures and the kitchen and bathroom floors need doing, but other than that it is good to go. This is one where there will be a bidding war. But, having said that, we all would have to replace the same things so this one may tip in my favour. I will take a quick look around on Saturday at some of the open houses and see if anything else clicks. I do have the option of going into another condo, but right now I am only 59 so am not really in that condo age yet as I still work and don't travel. So if I haven't been posting or don't post for a bit, that is why. Oh, and I need to be out of my place by June 28th. I really would prefer to find a place and not have to spend any time living in my son's unfinished basement. Besides they just bought 5 acres which needs to have about 200 trees taken out, the power run in, the well dug, the basement dug and poured and the RTM (ready to move) house built on site and be in by August 20th so the dgd can get ready to start school out there. Their backup plan is to stay with me if it is cold, if it is still warm, we will set up the trailer at my daughter's place. We are fortunate to have contingency plans. Lots of people don't have options. Yes, I could rent a place for a while----- if I could find one. We have a 0.0001% rental rate up here. Needless to say there would be no option that way. So, have a good rest of the week. Enjoy the weather if you are having good weather and enjoy the rain if that is what you are getting for after the rain all the plants will look so beautiful and the air will smell marvelous dear!

Cheers
Jean