Friday, November 18, 2022

Last day before the trek to the other coast for Thanksgiving week. It feels cold here! It was in the high 50's this morning with a high of 70 today. It is quite a quick change after two months where the low at night was 70 and the high during the day has been 84+.

Looking at the condo yesterday made us appreciate what we have, which is a good thing. It was very small and tired looking. The view was beautiful but even the porch was too small. And the realtor (who works with us in renting our place) said that you can hear lots of noise through the walls and floors.

In contrast we had a wonderful time at the wine dinner last night. We met some very interesting people, enjoyed a lot of great food and wine, and learned a lot about the production of the wine as the owner of the company (located in Sonoma) spoke about the company and each wine between courses. He was quite interesting. Everyone was very dressed up (jackets required for the men) and the room was nicely decorated. We ended up buying some of the wines which we both enjoyed. Though the cost of the evening was more than most dinners here at the club, when you consider that it was truly a fine dining experience with high quality wines included it really was a good deal. Probably the highest level dining experience we have had here. I only ate about half of each of the first 4 courses and just tasted the dessert which looked like a tree - super artistic!

Today is busy, busy. Laundry, a few errands, packing clothing, and packing the car. We leave at 7:30 am tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a crazy day as 3 of them arrive at Tampa airport at 10:30 and the other 3 arrive at 4. In between we will do lunch and visit some friends from Cape Cod who have a place in Clearwater. Pray for good weather next week. Other than the 2 hurricanes the weather had been quite warm and pleasant for 2 months but the forecast for this week looks like showers almost every day. Not good timing.

Have a friendly Friday!

Greetings all

AWOL yesterday due to board meeting and gallery duty. I got to escape the board meeting at the end due to need to get to gallery so lucky me to have missed some drivel. Gallery duty also enabled me to catch up on gallery gossip which I enjoy. But it was kind of slow up there. No sales until about 4:45. Some interesting people came in and really appreciated the dyed fabric using natural leaf dyes. It's fun when people are truly interested in the process and work and not just in trying to dicker on prices. And our garden committee has really spruced up the place for the winter. My co worker sat there in the cold all morning because she does not know how to turn the heater on. But I do! Toasty me. I have felt chilled a lot lately so it was good to feel truly warm.

Studio time later today. And looks like a trip to the bank is in order to wire some money for a real estate investment.

CC glad you got your stuff but sorry it's disorganized. I may have told you that when we moved here, we had car trouble so the moving van got here before us. BIL unlocked the house but just let the movers unload willy nilly. It was an absolute disaster - everything in the worst possible place. I hope your next load is better.

Shirley glad you are getting some pain relief. Everybody needs a jammie day now and then and you are overdue. Don't pu**** You're turn to be spoiled.

And ditto to DD. Get well and be safe.

Liz glad you looked at the condo and maybe it's just as well that it did not "grab" you. Wine dinner sounds like fun. Dressing up!

I watched a second episode of Yellowstone and still don't like it much. We also watch Big Sky which is a slightly better cop show.

Not much else. DH is going to the chinese restaurant today so thats what dinner will be.

Diane S

Warming up after feeling chilly is so comforting - I will enjoy my fireplace back at home. Here if it is chilly we just wait until it warms up which on a cool morning can take a while. This is one of those cool mornings so I am in my sweats.

Spent several hours today emptying boxes and putting some things away. I'll go back and do some more tomorrow before heading to MI Sunday. I got a few things arranged today. One was downloading software for my solar panels, but it still is not hooked up to my internet. I did confirm it's producing power, so that's good, but I can't see it on the app. That'll be a $45 home call next month. Oh well. The other thing is the previous owners ordered a part for the spare freezer last July and it just came in. So that will be installed next month when I'm back. The freezer seems to be the right temp, but apparently that was a temporary fix and the part is needed.

There is only so much that I can unpack since no decorations can be put out in anticipation of the floor cleaning in mid-December. This is going to be the slowest move ever!

Anyway, that's all I've got. Hope all are well!

Good that you looked at that condo Liz, because now you don't have to wonder, what if? The dinner sounds like a very fine evening, did you wear one of your new dresses from poshmark? Are you feeling more settled into this community? You've met some nice people, taken advantage of some of what it has to offer. Your photos are always lovely, and inviting...

Shirl I really do like the idea of your forced bed rest. It's probably the only way it will happen. We do trust you to follow medical instruction and stay off your feet the prescribed amount of time so that your cortisone shot can work. Cheers to some effective pain relief.

Diane, I too love running the heat at every opportunity, and getting all cozy. And also, leaving nonsensical meetings early whenever possible.

CC, it does seem like your move is a slow motion roll out. I can't fathom the amount of details you are juggling. When do you actually have to move out of your rental? Was it a year lease?

Folks, the high here was 19 degrees, wind chill of 4. I do not care for this. At. All. But, it is Friday, and I am happy to sleep in tomorrow, and then decorate. It is going to be this bitterly cold all weekend. Did I mention DD arrives Sunday morning for a 10 day visit? DS will arrive Wednesday. All is right in my world when I have them home for a few days.

Brr, DD! It was 23 yesterday morning when I left to meet the movers, but it ended up sunny and a high of 58. Michigan is going to feel cold...

The landlords are really nice and are letting me out of my lease at the end of December. So glad we didn't settle on end of November! I would be sleeping on a mattress on the floor...

Have a lovely time with your kids! I'm excited to see my folks. So nice to look forward to being with family (versus not liking one's family).

Sunset tonight behind Cathedral Rock:

End of December sounds great! You can be officially moved in for the New Year. The deep cold snap is supposed to pass in a few days. Expect a heat wave of temps in the 30s :)

Gorgeous sunset! And apparently the rental worked out perfectly. Hopefully you really are all moved in by the end of December.

A lot to look forward to with the decorating, DD and DS!