Today is not only the day before Easter, but it's the day after Earth Day! I celebrated Earth Day, along with probably 15 others from our church, helping to spruce up the grounds. My task was trimming mesquite trees, cutting off dead palm fronds, and reshaping a palm "bush." No one I know back in the midwest or the east is doing THAT today! :) I also helped Jack and some of the guys in raking and shoveling gravel. We left the grounds looking fine, if I do say so myself.
After the cleanup detail, Jack and I went to the Pima County Fair. I believe that I ate less at this fair than ever in the history of my going to fairs. We had a battered and deep-fried half zucchini (shared), a small bag of kettle corn (shared), a beef stick, and 2.5 bottles of water.
The fair was fun, as always, with its share of people trying to relieve others of their money in various ways. We escaped with buying just our parking ($5), entry fee ($16), and the food (total of $12).
I'm enjoying my new cottage very much. The loft bedroom is wonderful -- comfortable and cool at night. I know that I'll like it just as much, if not more, in the winter! I'd been a little concerned about the size of the kitchen, but it is more than adequate for li'l ol' me and the infrequent and unfancy meals that I fix here. The back room -- my hobby room -- is just perfect, too. I am truly appreciating having that bit of space in which to stretch out with my hobbies. :)
We have finally ordered the material for the skirting. We are getting Faux Panels and click that link to see what it looks like. They should be in, in about 4 weeks. By then, we'll have the backer up for them and be ready to put them on! Yay!
It's getting more and more quiet around the park now, with all the less hardy snowbirds taking off. I'm rather enjoying the peace, though. Jack and I have gotten into a fun routine of sharing lunches out and dinners either out or at home -- his place or mine.
We are enjoying time with Mary (Jack's mom), too. We've been taking her to church and on various errands. She loves to shop and so do we! She is getting along well at her retirement community, has many friends, likes the food, and even takes part in an exercise class there.
We've been seeing many bunnies around here, and I'm not sure but whether one of them may be the Easter bunny! We'll have to wait and see.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
More furniture moving
MORE? Yeah. Only this isn't for me. Our good friend John has decided again that he's going to move back to Colorado and sell his Tucson cottage. Well, this time he seems serious, because he sold Jack his furniture! The furniture that Jack had will then go to John's, since he wants to sell it furnished. The stuff that he had was just far too good to "toss in" with the sale of a $14K cottage.
So we spent part of the day hauling furniture out of Jack's cottage and out of John's, and then new stuff into Jack's. We will hang onto John's new stuff till after he has his carpet cleaned tomorrow. :) He'll be leaving then for good on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Other things continue apace. I've taken more things from 206 down here and have just a few things in the cottage and a few in the shed to bring over. I have organized my two sheds here so that I can easily find things. When the people all get back in the fall, I'll have a patio sale and unload more things -- nice things, mind you -- just things that *I* don't need. ;)
So we spent part of the day hauling furniture out of Jack's cottage and out of John's, and then new stuff into Jack's. We will hang onto John's new stuff till after he has his carpet cleaned tomorrow. :) He'll be leaving then for good on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Other things continue apace. I've taken more things from 206 down here and have just a few things in the cottage and a few in the shed to bring over. I have organized my two sheds here so that I can easily find things. When the people all get back in the fall, I'll have a patio sale and unload more things -- nice things, mind you -- just things that *I* don't need. ;)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Goodbye, Trust Market
A long time ago, in a land far, far away, AT&T won some legal wrangling against Verizon. In the end, the government ordered some groups of Verizon's customers to be taken over by AT&T. These people were termed "The Trust Market" and I was among them.
What this meant was that AT&T was to take over our service, was to replace all our phones and my MiFi with AT&T things and then they were going to be our provider. In the meantime, and this was nearly two years, I could not just go into a Verizon store and get answers about my account. No one had any access to it, because we were *The Trust Market.*
Well, this did not amuse me. I have not been a Verizon customer because they are a giant and they forced me to be with them. I've been a Verizon customer since they were a "whoozzat" company. I have stayed with them for many years, because I like their service.
So, after numerous postponements, The Day finally arrived. This was the day that AT&T's devices were to be activated. That Day .. was today.
I awoke curious, so I tried to call Jack on my Verizon phone and got a message that my phone no longer had service. So I tried the AT&T phone and was told that IT didn't have service.
So this afternoon, Jack and I went hopefully to our friendly Verizon man. He is Roy at the Pantano/Broadway Verizon store. He was helpful in listening to our situation and in getting me on the phone with a guy from Verizon who knew another guy from Verizon who might be able to help. Manuel from the WinBack Department (yes, really!) was my guy.
It took the better part of 30 minutes, I'm guessing, to get it all squared away, but the offshoot is that I am again a Verizon customer, I am no longer part of a Trust Market, I have the same plan, the same devices, and they all WORK! Thank you, Manuel! Thank you, Roy! And thank you, Verizon! Here's to another bazillion years of working together!
What this meant was that AT&T was to take over our service, was to replace all our phones and my MiFi with AT&T things and then they were going to be our provider. In the meantime, and this was nearly two years, I could not just go into a Verizon store and get answers about my account. No one had any access to it, because we were *The Trust Market.*
Well, this did not amuse me. I have not been a Verizon customer because they are a giant and they forced me to be with them. I've been a Verizon customer since they were a "whoozzat" company. I have stayed with them for many years, because I like their service.
So, after numerous postponements, The Day finally arrived. This was the day that AT&T's devices were to be activated. That Day .. was today.
I awoke curious, so I tried to call Jack on my Verizon phone and got a message that my phone no longer had service. So I tried the AT&T phone and was told that IT didn't have service.
So this afternoon, Jack and I went hopefully to our friendly Verizon man. He is Roy at the Pantano/Broadway Verizon store. He was helpful in listening to our situation and in getting me on the phone with a guy from Verizon who knew another guy from Verizon who might be able to help. Manuel from the WinBack Department (yes, really!) was my guy.
It took the better part of 30 minutes, I'm guessing, to get it all squared away, but the offshoot is that I am again a Verizon customer, I am no longer part of a Trust Market, I have the same plan, the same devices, and they all WORK! Thank you, Manuel! Thank you, Roy! And thank you, Verizon! Here's to another bazillion years of working together!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Photos of the New Cottage!
Slowly, but steadily, we're making progress on the projects around my new cottage. Jack got some concrete blocks cemented in today, and I got another carload of stuff loaded up at 206, driven here, and offloaded. Most of it is put away now.
I got the Fit serviced this morning. Its "oil life" indicator was down to 15%, and that means that it's time to get it changed. It takes awhile for it to get that low, too. Last oil change was in Big Rapids, and so that was September or before. When I first arrived here, I took it to my dealer, and they told me that I needed to wait for that 15%.
Ok! Here we are. New photos of the new digs!
Here is the delivery guy unwrapping the front. The doors are not even on yet!
Notice .. no flooring yet, and all the building stuff everywhere. I was NOT living here yet!
Fast-forward to today. Here's Jack working on the concrete footer for the deck:
And here are some interior photos, with explanations. You have to click the pic to see the explanations. :)
I got the Fit serviced this morning. Its "oil life" indicator was down to 15%, and that means that it's time to get it changed. It takes awhile for it to get that low, too. Last oil change was in Big Rapids, and so that was September or before. When I first arrived here, I took it to my dealer, and they told me that I needed to wait for that 15%.
Ok! Here we are. New photos of the new digs!
Here is the delivery guy unwrapping the front. The doors are not even on yet!
Notice .. no flooring yet, and all the building stuff everywhere. I was NOT living here yet!
Fast-forward to today. Here's Jack working on the concrete footer for the deck:
And here are some interior photos, with explanations. You have to click the pic to see the explanations. :)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Busted
Yep... my sister finally busted me for not writing in this blog more. And she's right. I will repent. I will blog more. My camera is still at my old house, so I can't take pics tonight, but I'll go and get it tomorrow!
I love this cottage more every day. Change is difficult, and moving is difficult on so many levels, but this is a very nice move for me. The little loft bedroom is working out great. With the windows open, I get this amazing air blowing just right, and so, even on the nearly 100 degree days that we've had, it's nice and cool at night.
The kitchen is smaller than the one I had at 206, but I am really enjoying it. The peninsula takes the place of the island I no longer have, and it gives me plenty of counter space. While I have not yet baked a pie in this kitchen, I hold out hopes that it'll serve nicely for that.
Jack got the footers for the deck front poured on Friday, just in time for our big cooldown. On Saturday, we awoke to rain and 47 degrees -- perfect for going to the Home Show! We spent several hours there, perusing the aisles. Big show with many, many booths. It's not the Indy show, however, with its actual custom home built on the premises!
After the show, we came back to my cottage and got our feet up in the recliners, TV on... and the doorbell rang. John and Carlene, friends of ours from Big Rapids, were here with Smania's (other friends from BR who winter in our park). John and Carlene winter in Phoenix area, so this was just the 2nd time that we saw them this season. We all went out to Mimi's for a delicious dinner and some fun conversation and catching up.
Today it was a bit warmer and we got to see the snow left on the Catalinas and Rincons after this cold & rain down here. Church was good. Pastor Bruce is leaving our church to pursue a new venture in California. While I'm sure that it'll be fine for our church and that Bruce and his family will be happy there, I'm still bummed about that.
My voice lessons and practicing continue to be lots of fun. I am up to 12 different exercises now, and I get a new song every week. While sometimes it sounds like I'm hollering or shrieking, mostly I sound ok... to me! LOL! Marcia swears that she's going to make me a star.
I love this cottage more every day. Change is difficult, and moving is difficult on so many levels, but this is a very nice move for me. The little loft bedroom is working out great. With the windows open, I get this amazing air blowing just right, and so, even on the nearly 100 degree days that we've had, it's nice and cool at night.
The kitchen is smaller than the one I had at 206, but I am really enjoying it. The peninsula takes the place of the island I no longer have, and it gives me plenty of counter space. While I have not yet baked a pie in this kitchen, I hold out hopes that it'll serve nicely for that.
Jack got the footers for the deck front poured on Friday, just in time for our big cooldown. On Saturday, we awoke to rain and 47 degrees -- perfect for going to the Home Show! We spent several hours there, perusing the aisles. Big show with many, many booths. It's not the Indy show, however, with its actual custom home built on the premises!
After the show, we came back to my cottage and got our feet up in the recliners, TV on... and the doorbell rang. John and Carlene, friends of ours from Big Rapids, were here with Smania's (other friends from BR who winter in our park). John and Carlene winter in Phoenix area, so this was just the 2nd time that we saw them this season. We all went out to Mimi's for a delicious dinner and some fun conversation and catching up.
Today it was a bit warmer and we got to see the snow left on the Catalinas and Rincons after this cold & rain down here. Church was good. Pastor Bruce is leaving our church to pursue a new venture in California. While I'm sure that it'll be fine for our church and that Bruce and his family will be happy there, I'm still bummed about that.
My voice lessons and practicing continue to be lots of fun. I am up to 12 different exercises now, and I get a new song every week. While sometimes it sounds like I'm hollering or shrieking, mostly I sound ok... to me! LOL! Marcia swears that she's going to make me a star.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Moved in!
I've moved into my new place! Well, I should clarify that I've been sleeping here for a few nights now. I just got my dishes moved here today, but they're not put away, because the shelves they will sit on are yet to have "poly" painted on them.
The shower is done and working fine! I love it and am more convinced than ever that Jack can do anything.
The flooring has been in for a couple of weeks and it looks splendid. The awning is in and looks great. They have one little part to fix, but the shade it provides is so welcome and wonderful.
Al and Jack moved my mattress here just a few days ago. They, with just a bit of help from me, hefted the thing up OVER the railing to my loft. The loft bedroom is working great for me. It's comfortable, nice and cool with the windows open at night, airy, bright, and I get to look out my window from my bed, to watch the sun begin to light the Catalina Mountains.
Today we got our deck plan approved! That means that we'll finalize the plans, calculate materials, and get moving on that! I will likely do it using Trex -- the stuff that looks like wood but isn't.
We've been keeping busy with other activities, too. While the Far Horizons activities have mostly ended, since the weaker snowbirds have already flown back, church activities are continuing fast and furious, and we're having fun with choir, working on the meditation garden, working on soup suppers (for Lent), and just general partying.
My voice lessons have been going well and I'm learning a lot. I never knew that there was so much involved in learning to sing, and to sing well. I guess I just thought that you either could do it or you couldn't. That's what lots of people think about art, too. I think, of course, that everyone has art in them, and it just has to be brought out.
We're also spending a bit of time with Mary, and all of us enjoy that. We take her to church every Sunday after dropping me off at choir practice for our church. Then after church we pick her up, go to brunch, and then do errands with her. She and I went to a fashion show at Skyline Country Club a few weeks ago, and that was lots of fun.
Last Tuesday, Jack and I went hiking with Dick, a man we met at church, to Chiva Falls. Great hike, beautiful falls, but over 8 miles, so it was a long one for me! We were all happy to get to the cars.
It's getting hotter here, with some record highs recorded already. We have had temps up into the 90's, but it's going to get cooler again this week.
I will be getting photos posted of the new digs, as soon as I get it done. Right now, my camera is still at the other house. ;)
The shower is done and working fine! I love it and am more convinced than ever that Jack can do anything.
The flooring has been in for a couple of weeks and it looks splendid. The awning is in and looks great. They have one little part to fix, but the shade it provides is so welcome and wonderful.
Al and Jack moved my mattress here just a few days ago. They, with just a bit of help from me, hefted the thing up OVER the railing to my loft. The loft bedroom is working great for me. It's comfortable, nice and cool with the windows open at night, airy, bright, and I get to look out my window from my bed, to watch the sun begin to light the Catalina Mountains.
Today we got our deck plan approved! That means that we'll finalize the plans, calculate materials, and get moving on that! I will likely do it using Trex -- the stuff that looks like wood but isn't.
We've been keeping busy with other activities, too. While the Far Horizons activities have mostly ended, since the weaker snowbirds have already flown back, church activities are continuing fast and furious, and we're having fun with choir, working on the meditation garden, working on soup suppers (for Lent), and just general partying.
My voice lessons have been going well and I'm learning a lot. I never knew that there was so much involved in learning to sing, and to sing well. I guess I just thought that you either could do it or you couldn't. That's what lots of people think about art, too. I think, of course, that everyone has art in them, and it just has to be brought out.
We're also spending a bit of time with Mary, and all of us enjoy that. We take her to church every Sunday after dropping me off at choir practice for our church. Then after church we pick her up, go to brunch, and then do errands with her. She and I went to a fashion show at Skyline Country Club a few weeks ago, and that was lots of fun.
Last Tuesday, Jack and I went hiking with Dick, a man we met at church, to Chiva Falls. Great hike, beautiful falls, but over 8 miles, so it was a long one for me! We were all happy to get to the cars.
It's getting hotter here, with some record highs recorded already. We have had temps up into the 90's, but it's going to get cooler again this week.
I will be getting photos posted of the new digs, as soon as I get it done. Right now, my camera is still at the other house. ;)
Friday, March 18, 2011
92
... That's how many people Jack and I had at our St Patrick's Day party! It was at the new place and everything worked out great. We did have a bit too much alcohol to serve, so we had a half-empty keg to return, but next year we'll know better.
We had our friends bring finger food, and they came through with love and creativity. We had beautiful and delicious food, ranging from shrimp cocktail and pigs-in-blankets to melon wrapped in prociutto and homemade cookies! We had two 8' tables completely filled with food.
When it started to get dark, I turned on the lights -- a thousand mini lights in yellow and clear -- which adorned the patio awning. What a sight! And then, as it got just a wee bit of a nip in the air, we turned on the firepit at the back of the lot and a group of us roasted marshmallows for smores!
The party continued from 4 - 10pm, and then the remaining guests helped us to fold up the tables and chairs, recycle all the cans and bottles, and dispose of the trash. We have such great friends! That left us with just a few dishes to clean up today, tables and chairs to return, and the keg to take back to Bevmo.
Oh, and I have not mentioned in here yet (because I was told to keep it secret!) that this photo of mine won the photo contest here! Wooo hooo!
We had our friends bring finger food, and they came through with love and creativity. We had beautiful and delicious food, ranging from shrimp cocktail and pigs-in-blankets to melon wrapped in prociutto and homemade cookies! We had two 8' tables completely filled with food.
When it started to get dark, I turned on the lights -- a thousand mini lights in yellow and clear -- which adorned the patio awning. What a sight! And then, as it got just a wee bit of a nip in the air, we turned on the firepit at the back of the lot and a group of us roasted marshmallows for smores!
The party continued from 4 - 10pm, and then the remaining guests helped us to fold up the tables and chairs, recycle all the cans and bottles, and dispose of the trash. We have such great friends! That left us with just a few dishes to clean up today, tables and chairs to return, and the keg to take back to Bevmo.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
She's Back!
Hi there! It's good to be back. Where was I? Well, I really wasn't gone, but my computer was! My computer contracted a virus because stupid Janee didn't have any anti-virus protection on her machine. Blue Chip Computers on Broadway was able to get her fixed up, cleaned up, and new AV installed for $100, so I'm good to go.
The new cottage is progressing. The blinds are all installed now. The tile is up in the shower, it's grouted, and all that's left is for the "haze" to be cleaned off of it. The awning -- an enormous expanse of beautiful white aluminum -- is nearly finished. They have to do downspouts and fill in a part that's at the back of the cottage, but we can see the end of that.
So now what's left besides moving in? We have to get the flooring installed, figure out what I want for my deck, order skirting, install the plywood sub-skirting, and then install the skirting. The dining room lighting fixture needs to be installed, and we need to put up the shower door and the television.
We've scheduled a party THERE for one week from today, so that should be interesting. At least we have the awning, and I can string lights from it! And I bought some patio furniture including a cute bar and a table with 4 chairs.
Singing is going well. Our FHTV choir concert is on Sunday evening and I think that we're all quite ready for that. I've really enjoyed this season's music, and having Julie as director. Church choir is very fun, too, and I'm loving my singing lessons!
I did end up making an appointment with my doc, and I'm on a new antidepressant, which costs me enough to make me depressed! Seriously it does seem to be working, though.
And I went to the dentist here, got my teeth cleaned, and got a replacement for my poor li'l broken retainer. Who'd have thought that would set me back another $750?? Zow. They did submit it to my dental insurance, so hopefully some of that will be covered.
The new cottage is progressing. The blinds are all installed now. The tile is up in the shower, it's grouted, and all that's left is for the "haze" to be cleaned off of it. The awning -- an enormous expanse of beautiful white aluminum -- is nearly finished. They have to do downspouts and fill in a part that's at the back of the cottage, but we can see the end of that.
So now what's left besides moving in? We have to get the flooring installed, figure out what I want for my deck, order skirting, install the plywood sub-skirting, and then install the skirting. The dining room lighting fixture needs to be installed, and we need to put up the shower door and the television.
We've scheduled a party THERE for one week from today, so that should be interesting. At least we have the awning, and I can string lights from it! And I bought some patio furniture including a cute bar and a table with 4 chairs.
Singing is going well. Our FHTV choir concert is on Sunday evening and I think that we're all quite ready for that. I've really enjoyed this season's music, and having Julie as director. Church choir is very fun, too, and I'm loving my singing lessons!
I did end up making an appointment with my doc, and I'm on a new antidepressant, which costs me enough to make me depressed! Seriously it does seem to be working, though.
And I went to the dentist here, got my teeth cleaned, and got a replacement for my poor li'l broken retainer. Who'd have thought that would set me back another $750?? Zow. They did submit it to my dental insurance, so hopefully some of that will be covered.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Two Twenty-two
And not much has changed with my cottage. The awning's on order. Blinds for the front 9 windows are on order. Tile for shower is on order. Kitchen faucet is on order. Floor is on hold till we get the tile in and on. Skirting is yet to be chosen and ordered. Guys are supposedly pouring the concrete footer for the skirting today.
We did get vertical blinds for the four upstairs windows and for the kitchen from Home Depot. We put them in on Saturday. They are a neat non-plain mottled browns and white and they look great.
I took some pictures yesterday, but left the camera over there. While I was taking pictures, Jack was working on installing an electrical box in my bathroom cabinet. This is something that I've enjoyed as a way to keep my appliances charged without having them out on the countertop. What was supposed to be a quick project, however, turned into a half-day ordeal. He had to remove the medicine chest, drill, router, and try all manner of combinations of wire hookups, before he got it to work without tripping the GFCI.
Today's hiking day, but I'm not going. I have not been feeling quite myself lately -- as if the air valve has been released. I'm thinking that I may have hypothyroidism, and I'm thinking that just based upon my Dr's wife experience. Low energy, weight that just will not come off, and maybe even my neck situation. Who knows? I need to make an appointment with my doc.
On Sunday, I discovered a screw embedded in my tire. And this morning my retainer broke when I was taking it out of my mouth. (Yes, it's true. I am a 54 year-young woman who still wears her retainer every night!) I will need to find an orthodontist, I expect, who can replace that for me. Cha-ching! I would say that it's done well, though. In the 25 years since I got my braces off, I've just had two retainers!
People keep asking me when I'm going to be moving into my new cottage and if I've sold this one. I'm going to wait till the new one is ready, unless this one sells before that. If this one should sell before I'm ready to move, my stuff will go into storage and I'll just sleep in the loft of my new place. :)
In other happy news, I'm taking voice lessons. I've thought for a long time that I could be a good singer if I had training, so now we'll see. I'm having fun with it so far!
We did get vertical blinds for the four upstairs windows and for the kitchen from Home Depot. We put them in on Saturday. They are a neat non-plain mottled browns and white and they look great.
I took some pictures yesterday, but left the camera over there. While I was taking pictures, Jack was working on installing an electrical box in my bathroom cabinet. This is something that I've enjoyed as a way to keep my appliances charged without having them out on the countertop. What was supposed to be a quick project, however, turned into a half-day ordeal. He had to remove the medicine chest, drill, router, and try all manner of combinations of wire hookups, before he got it to work without tripping the GFCI.
Today's hiking day, but I'm not going. I have not been feeling quite myself lately -- as if the air valve has been released. I'm thinking that I may have hypothyroidism, and I'm thinking that just based upon my Dr's wife experience. Low energy, weight that just will not come off, and maybe even my neck situation. Who knows? I need to make an appointment with my doc.
On Sunday, I discovered a screw embedded in my tire. And this morning my retainer broke when I was taking it out of my mouth. (Yes, it's true. I am a 54 year-young woman who still wears her retainer every night!) I will need to find an orthodontist, I expect, who can replace that for me. Cha-ching! I would say that it's done well, though. In the 25 years since I got my braces off, I've just had two retainers!
People keep asking me when I'm going to be moving into my new cottage and if I've sold this one. I'm going to wait till the new one is ready, unless this one sells before that. If this one should sell before I'm ready to move, my stuff will go into storage and I'll just sleep in the loft of my new place. :)
In other happy news, I'm taking voice lessons. I've thought for a long time that I could be a good singer if I had training, so now we'll see. I'm having fun with it so far!
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
My New Arrival
My new cottage arrived today! Here it is rolling down the hill into our park:
Going down the road in our park:
The guys were making final preparations on the site, as we all waited for the cottage to come:
And here it comes! As I shot this, it was going past my old cottage:
And here it is backing into its new lot:
Jack is getting ready to tell the driver that he's close enough to that cottage! The truck came within one inch of that cottage to the right:
A small crowd of onlookers gathered to watch her being positioned:
There were more people on the other side of the truck, too!
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