The Start of 2021

 Well so far 2021 has really sucked! I have lost two Uncles.... first Uncle George to a brain hematoma and then Uncle Ray due to gangrene in one of his legs. My Step-dad has been in the hospital with Covid with complications due to his COPD and my Mom being unsettled by it all. So yeah... CRAP! I am putting it out to the Universe to KNOCK IT OFF!!! Some good times better be in the very near future!

Two cats, some soup and a dog

Tippy

Howie

Vegetable beef soup and cornbread

My very first toy... a dog

 On November 8th I decided to do surgery on the little dog that came home from the hospital with me in 1964. He now sits up on his own again. My stitches joined those of my Grandma where she had taken the stuffing out to wash him many times... to save his barker... yes he used to bark but not anymore

The Catio and the truck

The three cottage kitties had a rough 2 hour drive from Greenville and a scary night out on the porch/Catio. But have settled into a new routine and are starting to get along with Greg's kitties; which I am thrilled about. Of course Piper the Princess still grumbles about them being here and Coal and Tippy are always hissing at each other and trying to start fights... but even that is becoming less.Sally and Callie just try to avoid them all and spend a lot of time looking for places to hide. 

October 22, 2020 - We rented a 26 foot U-haul

Loading the U-haul together was quite the job for two middle aged persons but we got it loaded... I'm still not sure how we did it. Thankfully Greg was able to help us some with the unloading.  But still we were so exhausted by the time we turned the truck in  the next day. 

A lot has happened since the pictures below and I have an area mostly set up but there are still boxes to go through and probably more things will go to Goodwill before it's over with but I have no sense of urgency anymore and am taking each day and working a little at a time and trying not to overwhelm myself again. Life has taken on a much different role for me now. I want to take each day, appreciate it and create beautiful things for myself and others. I want to have time out in Nature everyday as it rejuvenates my Spirit and brings me joy. It really is the little things in life that makes it beautiful.

 

Back in Cayce

 It has been several weeks now and we are slowly getting resettled into our home. I have been so involved in going through things and purging so much STUFF. It's really ridiculous the amount of things we have burdened our lives with... it happens so easily. I am glad we had this move to and fro as it has really opened my eyes to how much we hold onto for no real reason.  Things aren't the memories they are just things that weigh us down.  

October 12th, 2020

We moved so many things to storage in Greenville... then brought them back and sorted more out to go to Goodwill. It really was ridiculous... but alas I fear it was the way it HAD to be for me to let go. Let go of the STUFF... it's only holding you back. 

October 18th - Setting up my new creative space

Because our bedroom is still not complete and we are sleeping in the middle bedroom at the moment; the room that was my hobby space I am having to locate in the front living room area for now. I NEED a space to be creative to help me cope with life... especially now in these uncertain times. So once we got all our stuff back down here I began organizing and sorting and have been working toward getting an area that I can let my creativity out.

October 21, 2020 we said a final farewell to the little cottage. We had a love nearly 5 years there and we learned a lot about what we can and can't live with and without. We are thankful to Adele, Scott's sister for allowing us to stay there. Now we will wait and see what  the future holds for us. 

Packing Continues

 I am packing up my supplies (Art )but am keeping my sewing stuff handy until the very last minute as next week I am planning to do some sewing before we wrap things up up here in Greenville. It has been so lovely living near the mountains and I am so hoping we can retire back close to some mountains but only time will tell. For now we will return to our house in Cayce and complete the work that needs doing on it while Scott looks for another job. 

We made a little headway on the Catio last weekend and will go down and finish that up on the 17th-18th before we start moving things back. It will give our cats a safe place to settle in while we are unpacking and re-setting up a household there that works for us. It all feels so strange to be honest. TIME... that's what it will take to re-adjust. 

Sunday Morning

 Good Morning! I've been up since about 5:30 AM thanks to Tippy cat wanting breakfast and then wanted out... and Howie wanted in and then back out... Ahhh cat herding! When we get down to the house these 3 will have to get used to being indoor cats and lucky to have the porch (Catio) set up for them to go out on it. I am so hoping they settle into their new lives easily but I am sure they will not be happy for awhile. Poor kitties , but it is for their safety and to keep us from paying the fines from the city. 

I was lucky to find Marta live doing a free class this morning from Ireland. I just love her Art!.  Her process is so interesting and enjoyable to watch.  It is so lovely to find someone live  first thing in the day.

It is much later in the morning... now it is 10:30... been awake for 5 hours. Scott is still snoozing away!  At least one of us is getting some sleep. I guess I should get some other things going for the day. Take care and perhaps I will get more sleep tonight or perhaps a nap later today.

Just Three More Weeks

 

 I am busy decluttering and packing things in boxes to go back to Cayce. I have donated SO much as I want this to be a fresh start for us. I want life to be easier with fewer "things" to burden our creative spaces. I figure if I do my stuff now I can help Scott with the garage and the bonus room. If we do a lot of this purging and organizing now when we retire and relocate for our retirement we will be ready! We really do not want to stay in South Carolina in our retirement... but then we have learned that we have NO CLUE what the future will hold and we need to embrace where we are right now. SO.... we will return to Cayce and see what Scott is able to find as far as employment.

We will be able to get control of morning glories and wisteria. As well as rediscovering what is growing and blooming there now. This lovely Portulaca was growing where my vegetable garden used to be. It was a lovely surprise. I will NOT be putting the vegetable garden back in place. My plan is to focus on all the flower beds and getting grass to grow where the garden used to be. I may grow vegetables IN the flower beds around the house. Doing that will improve the health of the flowering bushes as well as some fresh vegetables for our table. 

We are going to turn the above porch area into a catio where the cats can go for a bit of fresh air without being loose in the neighborhood since the City has really gotten strict about loose animals. We will work on that project the next trip down to the house. Until next time... be safe!