Crickets, and an answer

I heard the crickets for the fist time last night.  It was early in the evening and still pretty warm.  Later (around 11:00) I again stepped out onto the deck and they were quiet.  A cool ocean fog was rolling in.  Maybe it has just been too cool in the evenings for them to sing.

Have you heard them where  you are yet?

A couple of my friends have asked me if I'm still walking and keeping track of the miles.

The answer is no for now.  It's a long story, but in a boring nutshell it has to do with the fact that both my knee and ankle have been really painful for the last two months.  I know that going up and down the ladder repeatedly during the day is a big factor.  I can't stop working, so for now I have stopped walking.

I went to the doctor for the knee awhile back and he said it was Arthritis.  He put me on an anti-inflammatory that really did a number on my stomach.  At one point last month my ankle was so swollen in the evening that it looked like I had an egg tucked under the skin.  Ice packs have helped a great deal.

I also think I might have a bit of Gout.  The doc says no, but I know that my joints are much worse when I drink wine, eat red meat, and a variety of other foods.  So for the month of August I have been abstaining.  The ankle is better.  I'm hoping to get back on the treadmill soon.

 Daily countdown:

438 days, or 1 year, 2 months, 12 days. 

Friday

A busy day, a busy week!

Small steps, but they are going in the right direction.

Daily countdown:

439 days, or 1 year, 2 months, 13 days. 

Six months of progress!

Six months ago I started writing this blog.  I said it was to help me examine my feelings about wanting to go full time someday, or not. And to help me stay on track with all the jobs that needed to be done in order to accomplish that dream.

After six months of focusing on that goal, I would say I am 99% sure I do want to do it.  There will always be that very small part of me that would rather stay safely at home in a house!

I started this journey much longer ago, but only in my mind.  I was doing very little to "make it happen."  

But once I made the first few steps, and put that first items into a box for a flea market, things started to move along. 

 I really feel I have gotten a lot done in six months, and if the next six can be as productive, we may actually be able to sell the house and GO!

What We have Accomplished:

• Hired someone to tear down the shed  and take ALL the old stuff in it  away.
• Hired someone to replace the  roof, rain gutters  and do tons of dry rot repair.
• Done about 2/3rds of the needed exterior painting.  (The inside is another story!)
• Set aside many things and have done my first Flea Market.
• Gotten rid of most of my unwanted clothes, and a few of Craig's.
• Donated all of my old yarn and cleared all but one of the shelves in the back of my studio closet.
• Boxed some of my fabric and will get rid of it after one year if I don't need it.
• Started to sort old tax documents and other papers. Taking some to the shredder.
• Started to empty the attic, and am determined to only store empty boxes!
• Gotten rid of all of the old VCR movies.
• Sold or donated most of my art reference books. (Same information and picture on the internet)
• Taken my first trip to the dump.
• Donated most of my old magazines to the HMO offices, and am not getting  any new subscriptions.
• Done some research on what rigs we might be interested in.
• Been to a RV show.
• Changed a major habit in the kitchen.  I now do ALL of my dishes, wash and put away, every evening.  No more stacking in the sink or letting the pans soak overnight.
• I have started a list book where I jot down daily "to do" lists, "what needs to be done" lists, and lists of "stuff" with notes on what to do with them.  I call it virtual sorting.
• Sold the MG Midget.
• Ordered new garage doors.

• And much much more.

Most importantly, Craig is helping with the house repair and painting. 

He has not yet let any of his "stuff" go, but I think it will happen in his own time.  He is starting to "talk" the "talk."  When people ask were we want to go after selling the house, he tells them we want to full time RV for a couple of years!

  What is exciting is that we are moving forward.  The house is getting a much needed facelift. 

I also feel like I have found a very special group of virtual friends. 

 Friends that have encouraged me and who I know I can ask for information about almost any RV problem I may run into in the future. 

Friends I look forward to meeting someday.

I have found encouragement in reading about others as they got their homes and lives in order before they were able to take off.  I do hope that if any wanna-be's  read my blog, they will find it helpful and motivating.  If I can do it, anybody can.

So I'm looking forward to great progress in the NEXT six months!  I wonder what will have been accomplished by  February 19, 2011.

Virtual Sorting

Shortly after I started this blog, I mentioned the idea of doing some "virtual" sorting and purging of our stuff.  I thought it might be a good idea to go thru the house, room by room, and make lists of what was there and what I wanted to do with it. 

 I started such a list on one of the "pages" of this blog, and kept it as a draft.  The problem with that approach was the computer I use is not portable, and if I had an idea at an odd moment it was quite inconvenient to go down, open the blog, and make the note.  So the project went no where.

Recently Craig gave me a 2010 "Time Management Portfolio" book he had gotten from someone at work.  I've kept it next to "my chair" up in the living room.  This is where I relax almost every evening.

I started making short, daily "to do" lists for myself in the dated section of the book.  About half of the pages are simply lined with a wide blank margin, much like a journal.

I'm using this part to  start make lists of things that need to be done, and stuff that needs to be either gotten rid of, taken along, or stored when we are ready to go.

I've made up a little key of abbreviations.  GT = go thru, AC = Ask Craig, TA = take along etc.

I find it is helping me feel less stressed about how much needs to be done and how much stuff needs to be considered.

  Craig doesn't like to talk about more than one job at a time.  Right now we are working on the painting, and taking that one place at a time.  

If I am helping him with one thing, say replacing trim boards on the garage, he doesn't like me to bring up something else, like the dry rot around the front door.  He will deal with each when the time comes. 

I am always thinking about all sorts of things.  If I see it on a list  I feel like I have it more under control.   

The lists seems endless, but someday we will do it all, or just cross it off and move on.

 AND, Someday I will toss the whole book into a trash can at the edge of the Grand Canyon! 

I'd toss it in, but that would be littering!

  Daily countdown:

445 days, or 1 year, 2 months, 19 days. 

                                     

New Garage Doors have been ordered

Last week when we started to work on the front of the house we decided the trim boards around the garage doors were too far gone to repair.  We also decided the garage doors themselves were in need of replacement.  They are old wood doors and although it is not visible on this picture, they have some decay and water damage. (The white boards around the doors are newly replace and just primed.)

This is a better picture of the door's sagging appearance!


I don't know why it is, but whenever Craig and I have to choose something or hire someone, it becomes a major crisis. We never seem to agree right off.

I told him it was his turn, but of course I went out and picked up brochures from Home Depot, Lowe's, and Costco.

 He looked at them and then choose another  company to look at.  He wanted to get fiberglass doors, and the large home improvement stores don't have them.

 Of course the fiberglass doors  were almost twice as much as good quality steel doors.

 I frowned.  Or as he said, I glowered!

 I didn't think it was an effective use of home improvement money.

  If we were going to be here for the next 20 years, OK, but I think good insulated steel doors would find just as much favor in the eye as a potential buyer.

 I guess I watch to much HGTV.

Always wanting a decent return on our investments!

We went to look at the doors at the showroom. The doors he liked were quite beautiful and I agree, a cut above the steel.

But it turned out the doors he liked  only came with rounded windows. Rounded windows would not look right with the style of our house, so we ended up ordering the steel doors. From the company he choose rather than a Home Depot or Lowe's.

 They should be installed in about three weeks.  I'm happy with the order, and I think Craig is OK with not getting the ones he originally wanted.  But I do wish it was easier for us to work together!

So the week ends with the outside work  progressing nicely.  Hope we get lots done over the weekend!

Daily countdown:

446 days, or 1 year, 2 months, 20 days to go.

Word verification back on

Sorry folks.  I turned the dislikable feature "Word verification" back on.  I have been getting a lot of SPAM in my comments.  I hate the fact that to get rid of Spam, I have to make it harder fro real people.

I said I wanted to turn it off and to see what happened.

Now I know.

Talk to you later ...

That was quick!

I have been researching the value of the MG on and off for months.  I knew what the asking price for a fully restored one was, and I had a range of possible prices for a non-op that was in pretty good condition other than it was put up without proper draining and had a few small dings and tears.

Craig and I pushed it out of the garage and I washed it with windex,
It looked pretty nice!

HMMM.

 To go on E-Bay Motors  with lots of pictures, a higher asking price, an auction with a reserve price, and wonder about dealing with people from out of the area, and shipping it across the country!

 Or to put is at a reasonable cash only price,  on Craig's list, and see what happened.

I wrote a quick Craig's list ad  within two hours I had a call.    After we talked for a while, the guy said he could come to see it this morning.

 However, after I hung up I realized I had given him the wrong information.
  I had listed it wrong on Craig's list too. I didn't have his phone number.

  I said it was a '69.  It's not.  It is a '79.

h In the morning, he called when he was ready to start, and I, with some embarrassment, told him my error.

I felt so dumb!  He seemed disappointed but he said, he's come look at it, and would probably be over in about an hour.

After three hours had passed I figured he was a no-show.  I was a bit disappointed because he seemed so nice, and I consider being a no-show quite rude.

But then I heard a car in the drive and it was he and his wife, complete with a flat bed trailer.

The man looked it over very carefully and asked many questions.

He was cool, but then so was I.

Then he offered me much less than my asking price.
    I said no.
        I didn't need to sell it today.

Then he came up half way to my price.
 I said that if it wasn't the absolutely first day I had it for sale I might take it, but not today.

I suggested  he call me in a couple of weeks.

He said  he would pay the asking price.

I think it was fair.

Onto the truck it went!

Goodbye little car

I'm a little sad.  But also pleased it went so easily and to people I felt good about.

I actually got some painting done today too!

Daily countdown:

449 days, or 1 year, 2 months, 23 days to go.