Month: October 2024

Bust

siunkelan17 Comments

We’re back from Tennessee.

I know I said I would post from the road, but so many things conspired against us, that I was just not feeling it.

And you know I would never post anything disparaging.

I’ll hit the high notes.

We made it without incident.

We met up with Kathy and dropped off all of stuff we had. There was 10 bags of quilts and knit items, and about 10 bags/boxes of other stuff. We talked to her for a while, she is really doing some good work. She is planning on collecting items for “makers” who are stuck this winter in temporary shelters due to flooding, and giving them out before Christmas so they can “make” for their families. I don’t know why, but this struck me as a really great idea!

We drove over the river and through the woods, quite literally, looking at houses. My favorite one already has an offer, which bummed me out because there we cows down the hill from it! I know when the wind is right they stink, but there’s just something about living near cows that appeals to me.

We happened upon Raffaele’s for a late lunch, and WOW! If you’re ever in Kingsport and hungry, you HAVE to eat here. It’s a little hole in the wall Italian place that is divine.

The next day we went to Bristol. I was told it was “depressed” but I was hopeful, and the prices were not reflexive of depressed.

We drove by 3 places and I was the one depressed. It was an awful place. Even downtown was run down and not great.

We headed back to Kingsport and hit their main street antique shops. We always love poking about in treasure shops. The Hubs asked for a lunch recommend, and we picked The Mustard Seed.

Once we found it and walked in we both had second thoughts! As you probably guessed, it’s a super crunchy kind of place with quinoa and sprouts. But they had chicken salad on the menu so we decided to stay. I was so glad we did! It was SO good.

Mission accomplished, right? A town with good food – check.

I don’t feel really optimistic about the trip in general. But it did show us a good town option. I have tightened up my TN Zillow search.

We got home and the kittens were alive. S1 is a good pet sitter. She did tell me she is praying for us to stay here, and that she loves my house and yard. I asked her to please stop that because she is maybe distracting God from telling me where I should go next.

We made a vague plan to fly up to WVA to look at few towns there. I plan to pick 3 and do what we can to see them all in one trip. Might be too big an area though. The issue is we’re getting into winter and although it does not seem like it here, we’re talking about mountains and driving and potentially bad weather.

What could possibly go wrong?

Tree

siunkelan21 Comments

This morning marks the start of our trip to TN.

But first, I was able to clear up the Mah Jongg mystery: The place is called Grand Lagoon yacht club. So yeah, I did drive by it, twice, the other day. And rejected it because they said “Perdido.” I’ll try again when we return.

I have picked up most of the supplies we are bringing to TN. I am currently waiting for Donna to drop off the last bit. We picked up a *gasp* minivan yesterday. I really hate a minivan, but I have to laugh that I predicted at least the first part: mini. This beast is far from mini, at least we have plenty of hauling room.

So committed are we to this trip, neither of us have even started packing! So far we have taken the garage door opener out of the truck, but it has not made it into the minivan. Sure, yeah, we’ll be out of here by noon.

I’m nearly done with my palate tree. I have been painting it to get it ready for Christmas. I kinda liked it plain, and I kinda like it now:

I’m looking for a star for the top. The Hubs is making a stand when we get back, and then I’ll light it and stick it in the front yard – AFTER Thanksgiving.

It’s no secret I hate Halloween. But I have neighbors who don’t and I can appreciate that:

Come on, it’s funny!

S1 will be taking care of the kittens while we’re gone. I hope they are not jerks to her. She is looking forward to Mayhem hugging her face. Her cats are standoffish, so she really wants to get some sugar from mine. I hope she’s not disappointed!

Anyway, we are off to scout a retirement location. It might be TN, it might not. We made a list of neighborhoods to check out, we’ve researched a few local attractions and eateries. You can bet we’ll be trying the local fare, we don’t want to be in a culinary dead zone like we are here!!!

I’m taking some small projects for car knitting, and the Hubs got a book for us to listen to. We will do 4 hours today, 5 hours tomorrow, nice and leisurely. The weather is supposed to be sunny and 70s in TN. My old self says jeans-weather, but here it’s still shorts-weather. I am not sure how to pack for this!

Mah Jongg

siunkelan11 Comments

After all the years living here in FL, the old people capital of the world, I finally got invited to play Mah Jongg!

I was pretty excited, it is exactly what I was looking for, a drop-in game where I can go when I have time. It was today.

I left work, was supposed to hook up with S2 to get quilts. Never heard from her. Went home to get lunch, she calls me and says to meet her and S3 at Hub Stacy.

Nope, already home.

A bit later, it’s time to leave. I know exactly where I am going. Perdido Yacht Club. I get there and there is literally no way to get into the place.

WTF?

I try a second pass. Nope.

OK, clearly I should have looked this up before I left home. I go home, frustrated and annoyed. I look up the place.

And the wheels fell off the wagon. When you live near a town called Perdido, you expect some things to be called Perdido this and that. What you don’t expect are 16 variations on that name for the local yacht clubs.

So it turns out I had no real clue where I was going AT ALL. The closest club that sounded right was in Orange Beach.

WTF?

Now I’m ticked off. At myself for not asking for an address. At them for assuming some mumbled name was familiar to me.

It’s like going to Maine and asking some old dude where the Piggly Wiggly is and he says, “Yonder” while pointing directly at the moon.

I didn’t get to play Mahj, and I didn’t pick up quilts. It’s been a stupid day.

Why am I picking up quilts? Because we are headed to Bristol, TN on Sunday.

There was some emails flying around late last week about donating to the people in TN displaced due to flooding. One was from Donna. I recently met Donna and stupidly thought it was her. So I responded, “Before you mail stuff, I’m going up there next week, I’ll take a load.”

I can’t learn.

S1 texts me, “I can’t believe you responded to her.”

Turns out, it was not my Donna, but another, really annoying Donna, who now thinks we’re best friends.

Yay

Well, I can’t flake now. I’m committed. I said I would, and if it kills me, I’ll do it. Yesterday I got 3 green trash bags of stuff from the stitch and bitch, and when I hook up with S1 tomorrow afternoon, she’ll give me 5 bags from the quilting group.

On Saturday we pick up the rental car. We reserved, as we always do, a sedan. Previously, they have upgraded us to a Hybotsu Monstronsity. Because we actually need one, we’ll go to pick it up and all they will have is a Mini Cooper.

But I know how to pack. I’ll get every last thread into whatever we get.

Sheet

siunkelan18 Comments

I washed my kitchen floor today. Not like I never do it, but today it just seemed like the right time. Nothing horrific has happened in the kitchen lately, so I thought it was safe.

About an hour later, I was getting eggs out of the fridge and one slipped out of my hand. It broke, and ran down the inside of the fridge, onto the freezer, down the door and onto the floor.

Of course. My freshly washed floor.

A little while later, Havoc wandered in, ate some crunchies, and then yakked them all over the floor. My freshly washed floor.

Why do I bother?

The other day I was checking plants and saw that my fig tree had a ripe fig – that was actively being eaten by a wasp. Not to be deterred, I checked the whole bush – and lo! Another ripe fig!

OK, maybe not all the way ripe, but close. I picked it so I would have the opportunity to taste it before it got attacked.

I scooped out the goo – minus that part at the bottom that looks like it might have had a visitor – and ate it. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was sweet and yummy. Right now there are two more close to being ready, I hope I can keep any pests away.

Not exactly sure when it happened, but some time ago I became a white-only linen gal. All my towels and sheets are white. I don’t have to worry about which towels match which bathroom (yes, I have recently learned that IS a thing), or if the sheets clash with the blankets.

Just lately, I have to admit, I have been flirting with colors. a green top sheet here, yellow pillowcases there, a full set of blue sheets for the new mattress, green washcloths for the heck of it.

I realized last week when I had the blue fitted sheet, a white top sheet, and yellow pillowcases on the bed that I do not love the colors all that much. I find it very chaotic. Instead of just grabbing the sheets at the top of the pile, I have to rifle through the stack for ones that don’t look terrible together.

I am sure this could be solved by only buying full sets, but I had planned on working with what I have on hand for the moment.

I wasn’t going to, but the bed looked so awful, I ordered a new set of sheets yesterday. White ones. So plain, so dull, I love them!

This is where we are at the moment, and will stay until a new bedroom presents itself.