Monday, May 27, 2019

Which Direction to Go

I just returned from my mother's funeral in Washington.  As my aunt put it, "It was a fun time on a sad occasion."  It was good to see the family mostly all together.  My co-worker looked after my dogs.  She only lives 5 minutes away and knows them all because I bring them to work sometimes.  If I move from here, I'll have to find a new dog-sitter.  That brings me to my next subject, when will I be moving?  My optimistic answer is still November.  I don't have a place to move to yet though.  My nephew is still living in my mobile home and my tiny house still does not have electricity.  My job has not laid me off, in fact, they want me to go out to our corporate office in Connecticut at the end of next month to discuss the next project that I will be working on with accounting.  I just can't seem to quit a job with perks like bringing my dog to work, flexible schedule, and being able to work from home all of this week because my co-worker is on vacation and I would be alone in the office.  I'm going to hang on until the office lease is up August 2020 and see what happens.

Here is what has been going on at the house in the past month.  Gutters!  The old gutters were removed and new seamless gutters added.  No leaking anymore.  The black mold which has stained the pavers below will be gone after the landscaper replaces the walkway and fixes the drainage.  I hope that will be completed next month.  I don't have a firm date yet.


New windows!  The new windows are in and look great.  I hope it lowers the electric bill this summer.  I also dug out the old barrel cactus and planted some Lantana flowering shrubs.  The cactus are too heavy for me to move or cut up so I will ask the landscaper to haul them away.


My own tiny garden in the backyard is loving our abnormally cool weather.  This sunflower decided to bloom all at once.  I also have some grapes, Moringa, and alfalfa growing.  Last week was really windy and the grapefruit tree has been dropping the fruit that was out of my reach.  How convenient.  The wind also blew over my mailbox.  It appears the post rusted at ground level.  I still haven't decided how to fix it but it is propped up with rocks and a bungee cord attached to a screwdriver pounded into the ground until I think of something.


My co-workers all chipped in and bought me a tree for my mother.  They bought one for my father three years ago.  That was very nice of them.  This tree needs about an 18 inch deep hole.  I'll probably wait until the fall to plant it on my property when it is cooler and I won't have to worry about watering it.


My dove couple is back sitting on their third batch of eggs.  I wonder how long they will keep laying them.  It is fun to see the babies hatch and grow.
                                                                  

So, that's what is happening.  I'm also continuing to sort through boxes and plan a trip to New Mexico and Texas, probably in the fall since traveling with dogs during the summer seems too complicated. I'm leaning toward renting a minivan and turning it into a stealth camper with a 12V cooler, porta-potty, fan, and bed.  I'll have to actually look at minivans to see if my plan will work. 

8 comments:

philo said...

You're back, Daizy! Missed you. That sunflower blooming is a real joy to see. I'm looking forward to tracking the plans you have laid down for the next few months.

George G said...

Always good to read how you are going, thanks for the update.

Dave said...

Good to see you back here, my dear Daizy! I hope you find some inspiration in seeing all of these things around the house growing. Speaking of which, I thought you were considering staying in the house you are in now.

Unknown said...

Love your blog! You just keep swimming!

Daizy said...

@philo - Thanks, I meant to write sooner but things just kept happening and changing at such a rapid speed. I'm ready to slow things down a bit.

Daizy said...

@George G, I'm glad you are still interested. Thanks for commenting.

Daizy said...

@Dave, I was going to stay in the house if my job moved their office closer but it doesn't seem like that plan is going to work. I think they are leaning toward letting us work from home and closing our office when the lease is up next year. There is a corporate planning meeting in two weeks and maybe they will make some decisions about our office then. I have also considered buying this house but it would take another 6 years of work and it is a bigger house than I need so my current plan is to move out to my property for 10+ years and maybe move back to this retirement town when I am older.

Daizy said...

@JB, Thanks! I often think that, just keep swimming, hopefully towards something better.