I tuned in to HGTV last night so you know I have decorating on my mind. That was a first, I guarantee you. Decorating or re-decorating or doing anything too much to upset the status quo is not tops on my list of fun activities.
I must admit it is fascinating to see old properties (that incidentally cost a fortune in their "before" states) be transformed into gorgeous dream houses. Scott must be watching this channel because he certainly undertook the same kind of project with his home. Luckily (by design) I do not need to worry too much about re-vamping my new house; I think it's perfect just the way it is.
Unfortunately, hubby has a few other ideas... Must keep him away from HGTV!
;-)
I'm happy that President Obama has nominated Janet Yellen to replace Ben Bernanke as head of the Fed starting next year. This is one super smart lady. Her nomination is a no brainer if I ever saw one!
I read an article called "Five Things You Should Know About Obama's Fed Chair Nominee". OK, so she's rich, not the first woman to lead a central bank (but the first to lead the US Fed), she's married to a Nobel prize winning economist, she's tops in accuracy for economic forecasting and she stays away from ties to political factions. It's all good but who cares?
She's Jewish! I'm kvelling!
Good Luck Ms. Yellen. Your country needs you!
;-)
In two months our realtor Rick (Rigoberto DeJesus Garcia) garnered two solid offers on our house and two solid offers on our beach condo. We close on both soon and I am thrilled with Rick. He is without doubt the very best realtor we have ever worked with in our 40+ years of buying and selling houses and condos. First of all, he is kind, patient, honest (Yes! Really! An Honest Realtor!) and spends enough to market properties properly. He had a professional video photographer take the pictures and he advertised in South America and Canada - two sources of affluent buyers of properties in South Florida. He got email lists of potential buyers in New York, another good source of buyers for South Florida. Our listings on realtor.com were far and above more inviting than those of other properties in our neighborhood.
But Rick did much more than that. He delivered a bicycle left in our beach condo to someone who was willing to "babysit" it. He offered use of his pick-up truck. He had the condo cleaned at his expense and kept it looking great. He never missed a showing and was available 24/7. He's been over to the house a bunch of times to hand deliver papers, explain stuff and brainstorm strategies. We loved hearing "don't worry, I'll take care of everything". He is a joy to work with and although I am thrilled that we sold our properties quickly I will miss talking/texting with Rick.
We met Rick when he rented our beach condo for three Julys in a row. I suspected he was the best to list the beach condo with because he knew the building, our neighbors, and the Broadwalk well and he loved our little place. I was a little more concerned about listing our house with him as it is in an area he doesn't normally work in. Sure glad we did!
Thanks Rick!
;-)
We will be in The Villages a week from today! I am so excited, but the butterflies in my tummy are still twitching, though not as much as they have been the past two months. Everything is packed and the house is cleaned as much as can be right now. I've said goodbye to old friends and the last lunch with my old staffers is today. Have I forgotten to do something??
This move is more than just going to another place where I'm going to live. This is the place where I will spend the fourth and last quarter of my life, perhaps even the last third if I make it to 96. We have chosen to grow old(er) in our new home in bucolic Central Florida in a community of like-minded and like-aged companions. Pursuits that once occupied my time and mind (like working) will be replaced by simple joys - morning coffee on the lanai, meeting friends, the Farmers' Markets (two each week), golf carting around the neighborhood, clubs and classes and live entertainment. Probably add "visiting doctors" to that list! (But much later!)
So now I can officially consider myself a fully retired Senior Citizen or, as it is euphemistically put, an "Active Adult". I googled "active adult" images and wow! I never saw so many happy, happy faces. Add mine!
;-)
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The little Eureka Quick-Up I've been making do with for years finally died during the Great Pack-Up so I have been making do even more with my super-little Shark "dustbuster on a stick". I needed a Real Vacuum and I was even reduced to watching Infomercials and reading online reviews. But joyfully Big Lots sent me a 20% off coupon to be used this past weekend and Saturday I got myself a reconditioned Hoover Windtunnel Air Bagless Upright Model UH70400. It was $63.00 after the discount and weighs only 12 pounds. It can suck with the best of them and got great reviews except for one feature which will never bother me as I will never use it. I love the way it empties and how easily the dirt cup snaps in place. It has a 30 foot cord so I don't have to use an extension cord as I have done with every vacuum I've ever known.
Best of all, I have a soft spot for Hoovers as I come from from an era when having a Hoover in your broom closet was like having a Cadillac parked in your garage. Stu's Mom bought me my first one in 1969
and BFF Sheryl and I were both taken in by the $300+ "self propelled" model about 13 years ago (big bust). Buying bags and belts were of course necessary - I'm so happy there are no replaceable parts in my new one.
My guest room carpet finally got a good cleaning and looks a lot better. Some things really have improved with time! Hoover On!
;-)
Getting around by golf cart has been lifted to a new high by Villagers. It is the mode of transportation of choice and golf carts are ubiquitous throughout The Villages. Of course I want to join the parade and to assist me there is a website and a course "Get There By Golf Cart" held bi-monthly at the Lifelong Learning Center.
Since The Villages is mostly self-contained (think Disney World) it is truly not necessary to ever leave this Magic Kingdom. However, The Villages is quite large and getting larger and I fret that not all points will be accessible by golf cart, especially since our new home is at the far northern end. From my new house to girlfriend June's house in the far south end is 10 miles and I figure that is a bit far to go by golf cart. We'll see. Getting to the nearest recreation center and shopping plaza will be easy-peasy.
June has an electric Club Car but I am thinking a gas powered Yamaha. I certainly don't want a limited range to result in me getting stuck somewhere hahaha.
Zoom Zoom!
;-)
I own about a zillion pieces of Franciscan Desert Rose (see blog entry Desert Rose), collected first by Mom and then by me. I do love it but truth be told, I always preferred Franciscan's Apple pattern. Oy! Big shameful confession!
I told you I am resurrecting the red and white kitchen I so loved in 1969 (minus the checked curtains). I finally bit-the-bullet today and ordered a starter set of three five-piece place settings of Franciscan Apple from ebay. I justified this purchase because 1) with my $20.00 Paypal credit and my $3.88 in ebay bucks the purchase came to only $34.07 and 2) we had just spent $21.00 on a crummy breakfast with too thick, too salty lox. Such is the way my mind works, get used to it, hahaha.
The lovely apple pattern will look terrific in my new kitchen and will compliment Sheryl's cookie jar nicely. Can't wait for my morning joe in my new coffee cup!
;-)
I ran across this cute website/blog called "Today I Want". The author defines herself as a "vintage fashionista and compulsive online shopper". I am certainly no fashionista, vintage or otherwise, and definitely not a compulsive shopper, thank goodness. But I can window shop with the best of them and here are my desires for today:
Revlon's Teak Rose Nail Polish. Finally! almost the same exact shade as my absolute favorite but no-longer-available - the discontinued Opi Baguette Me Not.
A new light weight, high suction, quality vacuum under $200. Researching the available choices has left me confused and depressed.
A black bra that is not padded, has underwire and great support, thin straps and is pretty (lacy). Is that too much to ask?
A buyer for the beach condo! Someone better than the guy who started at $275,000 and has inched up to $325,000 by a couple of thousand at a time.
;-)
As I write this, the United States Government is shut down. No compromise is in sight. The Dow had lost 300 points this week alone. The National Parks and cancer clinical trials at the National Institute of Health are shut down. WWII Veterans in their 90s have had to storm the barricades of their own Memorial much like they stormed the beaches of Normandy almost 70 years ago. This is disgraceful. The bastion of Democracy and the Best Hope for Freedom, Liberty and Upward Mobility is reduced to partisan bickering and dramatic posturing. Horrible!
So I am proposing we ditch these bozos and form a new party based on common sense. Here are the major tenets of Party Ev:
1. Do nothing that will knowingly and deliberately harm citizens of the U.S.A. Like shutting down the government or not raising the debt ceiling.
2. Have a single payer health system funded by taxes. Like Canada's. Basic health care is a human right.
3. Take no military action unless American citizens or our closest allies are directly threatened by other nations' military actions. Then go in with everything we've got and end it quickly.
4. Stay out of any judgements on social issues: gay marriage, abortion, prayer in schools, etc. Not the government's business.
5. Welfare and food stamps only for people whose limitations prohibit them from any kind of gainful employment.
6. Protect our second amendment but hey, you don't have to make it super easy to put guns on the street. Enforce stringent background checks.
Anyone want to join Party Ev?
;-)
The countdown app on my smartphone tells me it is 12 days until moving day! The house is almost bare except for empty furniture and the stuff we use every day. Supplies for cleaning, food and shampoo are getting whittled down and I still find stuff to to throw out and clean everyday. The garage is (somewhat neatly) stacked with boxes containing almost all of our worldly possessions. It's hard to believe it's only been two months since we returned from our first trip to The Villages. A reminder of that old adage: things can change in the blink of an eye.
I retired from my career a year and a half ago. My retirement could be summed up as simply "not working". The rest of my life went on exactly the same - same house, same friends, same shul, same stores. Now I envision my future retirement as moving on to something new, something even better.
There's a TV commercial for some kind of financial planning that says "retirement is the time you pay yourself for doing what you've always wanted to do". It is slowly dawning on me that there are in fact things I want to try and do and see and learn still out there.
Counting down!
;-)
I tuned in to HGTV last night so you know I have decorating on my mind. That was a first, I guarantee you. Decorating or re-decorating or doing anything too much to upset the status quo is not tops on my list of fun activities.
