This painting is called ‘Tulips in Acrylic’. I know, the title’s not very original but I couldn’t think of anything else to call it at the time. Truth be told, it’s a photo of my painting because it’s too big to fit in my scanner and I’m too cheap to pay the local art supply store to do it properly. I completed it sometime in the past seven years but I have no recollection of which year exactly. It definitely was a ‘labor of love’ because I labored over it for months before I finally felt comfortable signing it (which I edited out in order to remain anonymous). Anyway, enjoy!
June 20, 2021 – Motivating Factors
If you ask anyone what motivates them, the top two responses would most likely be love or money. Personally, I am chasing the almighty dollar at the moment. I cannot remember the last time I worked so hard in my life! But in the end, if we get the results we’re hoping for (a substantial offer on our home), it’ll all be worth it. At this very moment, I’m taking a break from applying primer to my interior doors. They actually look pretty terrible. We were going to spray them instead of rolling them because the results are much better, but I am trying to knock things out as quickly as possible and not waste one precious moment. And rolling the primer on the doors is possible during the wee hours of the morning (when I’m up and about) because it doesn’t disturb my husband (like running a paint sprayer would). My hope is that if I at least get the primer applied with a roller, when I spray them with the final coat of paint, maybe the finish will even out. Fingers crossed.
Continue reading “June 20, 2021 – Motivating Factors”June 19, 2021 – Photo
How I’m going to miss all of the birds that regularly visit our backyard! The other day, there were so many, it was like being at a bird sanctuary. Between the flickers and sparrows, the doves and pigeons, the quail and robins, the starlings and nuthatches, and the hummingbirds, it was quite the sight to behold! When we move, my greatest desire is to build a habitat for birds on our property so I’m able to continue to delight in their presence. I like this photograph because in the background are the birdhouses my husband built for some of our feathered friends.
June 18, 2021 – The list keeps growing!
Sigh. It’s not as if the ‘list’ isn’t long enough already, but I keep finding more stuff to add. I just keep thinking that whoever walks through our front door as a prospective buyer, I want to knock their socks off! I still have yet to finish painting most of the interior doors (in our home) in addition to the trim on three large windows in our bedroom. Ordinarily, I’d take care of the fence, too, but my husband has offered to handle it. It’s a huge job and will require much more energy than I have to give. I will be involved, however. I get to paint all of the support beams under the carport that the paint company we hired back in 2017 managed to miss. I’m also taking care of all of the prep work (sweeping up all of the paint ‘chips’ that were removed by the pressure washer and affixing plastic (to the ground) with tape around all of the fence posts in order to avoid spraying the sidewalk). I also have to wrap the mailbox (which is built into the fence) and a few other minor things.
Continue reading “June 18, 2021 – The list keeps growing!”June 17, 2021 – Photo
My friends, how I am going to miss my garden! We filled it with easy-to-maintain perennials and it’s a joy each year to watch as each one grows and blooms. The plant (pictured) was already in our garden when we purchased our home several years ago. It is actually called ‘Elephant Garlic’, believe it or not. Although many people use it for cooking, we never have. I just enjoy watching it when it blooms each spring. It looks so whimsical, like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
June 16, 2021 – Saying Goodbye
I am not ready to say goodbye, not just yet. My husband keeps telling me to call my brother and break the news but I can’t seem to do it. The last few times we’ve communicated, he’s told me how much he’s struggling (with depression). Knowing this, I don’t feel good about dropping a bomb on him by telling him I’m moving to another state. He’s done so much for me (including donating his kidney in order to save my life) and I know he isn’t going to take the news well. The thing is, I shouldn’t make decisions based on how people are going to respond to them, although that is what I have a tendency to do. I never want to hurt people or make them feel bad. In fact, I’m struggling right now over having to contact the realtors (who we had prepare CMAs) to ‘break the news’ about who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. So far, we’ve had two realtors walk through our home and provide us with rough figures on how much it’s worth. Tomorrow, we have a third one scheduled for a walk-through.
Continue reading “June 16, 2021 – Saying Goodbye”June 15, 2021 – Photo
During my recent trip to visit family and friends, I got an opportunity to visit the Botanic Gardens. In one of the exhibits, there was a really beautiful (massive) glass sculpture. The sculpture was designed and created by the world-renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly, along with several members of ‘his team’. It has been on display since 2014, when it was permanently installed. I am amazed it is doing so well, considering the area is prone to hail storms.
June 14, 2021 – Moving at Warp Speed
Let me tell you, I knew that once we made up our minds to move, the momentum would pick up, but this is ridiculous! In the last two days, I have completed more tasks around my house than I have in the last two years. Why the hurry? Oh my gosh, we had the first realtor over yesterday and she brought us very good news. Scratch that, great news! After thoroughly reviewing ‘comps’ in the area, she determined that our home has nearly tripled in value since we bought it 7 years ago. Yes! You heard me right! I thought she was pulling my leg at first but she was dead serious. Of course, there’s a part of me that doubts anyone would pay such ‘crazy’ money for our home but you never know. Still, I am beyond excited because if we do net what she indicated, we should have no problem purchasing our next home with cash. Could someone pinch me? I think I’m dreaming!
Continue reading “June 14, 2021 – Moving at Warp Speed”June 13, 2021 – Photo
As I was eating dinner the other day, I looked out towards the backyard and spotted the most beautiful blooms on our Elephant Garlic plants. I grabbed my camera, went outside, took several photos, and then continued to meander through the yard. When I reached the shed, I noticed all of the delicious berries on our Yellow Raspberry Bush that were ripe for the picking. Yes, of course, I grabbed a handful and gobbled them down (after I blew on them to ensure I didn’t also consume a gnat or fly or aphid or whatever type of insect or bug likes to hang around berry bushes). That’s another thing I look forward to during this time of the year, not only is the yard plentiful with birds and blooms, it is also plentiful with berries. Yum!
June 12, 2021 – No longer ‘on the fence’.
Well, there’s nothing like the concept of ‘moving’ to light a fire under my butt. I actually managed to ‘tick one of the boxes’ on my list today and finally got around to staining our cedar gate and fence. And that isn’t all. The one job that I have resisted tackling because it’s so vast, finishing our master bedroom, I managed to make a dent in it, too. My husband has also successfully completed several projects that he has put off for years. One of the realtors who stopped by to determine our home’s value suggested that we paint our fence (something we’ve intended to do ever since we painted our house four years ago) and remove some odd looking, warped wood fence panels that one of the previous homeowners had put in front of a cinder block wall (under our carport). I’m not sure who decided putting those warped wood fence panels in front of the wall was a good idea, but I have a suspicion it’s the same person who decided that dark brown with bright yellow trim was, of all the colors to paint a house, the most suitable at the time.
Continue reading “June 12, 2021 – No longer ‘on the fence’.”
