In July I took 5 of my grandsons, my grown son and his daughter and took off to Cape Cod for a week. We stuffed ourselves into 2 tents, sat around the campfire and stuffed ourselves with hot dogs, corn on the cob and marshmallows, swam, went on a 2 hour Cape Cod Canal cruise,took some beautiful pictures, and made som beautiful memories. We WILL be going back again next year!
In May I learned my landlord had lost the house to foreclosure. All the tenants were given until July 1 to move! I almost had a nervous breakdown thinking about it. After living there 22 years! Imagine the clutter, err I mean collections of good stuff! Well I found another apartment nearby, gave away and disposed of a LOT of stuff I was keeping “just in case” and ended up in a bigger, cheaper, more airy and bright apartment that I adore! Everything happens for a reason.
My ex returned to his old ways and for no reason, demanded that my son and I return his plates and cancel the insurance, even though we paid it in full for the year. So I’m back to walking, and my son is begging rides to and from work. Some people never change. But he’ll see . What goes around comes around. It’s all Karma, and he’ll get his.
My son gave me his car. His father, my ex, gave him a car and he gave me his. It’s not a mini-van, but it’ll do for now. My ex put the insurance on both cars in his name so it would be cheaper for us, but he’s already bitching about it, even though we’ve paid it. I want to tell him “take this car and shove it…”, but I much prefer driving my 5 grandkids to all the baseball practices and games they have, rather than walking and carrying all that equipment. But I didn’t have a car last year and we survived…If it comes down to it, “I am woman”, and “I will survive.”
I have quite a few well-worn Arizonas and have ordered a pair of Bostons. I wear the Arizonas all year, with socks in the winter, except when there’s snow. I hope the Bostons are comfortable, as I’m not used to closed shoes anymore.
I need to get all the Arizonas resoled and they’ll be as good as new.
P.S. 4 weeks later: I love my Bostons, but my Arizonas are still my faves. I really prefer sandals.
I’ve done it many times, but one night was definitely worth it! Especially since my son was the featured poet for the night, and he read a poem he wrote for and about me.
Camping is the most relaxing thing in the world as far as I’m concerned. Getting the tents set up and keeping the kids in check are the only things that are stress-inducing. Once I get the hammocks up and get into one of them, I’m all set. Nothing beats a hammock at dusk, looking up through the pines, watching the stars come out layer by layer, gently swinging and hearing the frogs and the loons and the water. ...ohmmmm…
I don’t know how much money I might make, but it’ll be more than I’m making giving things away on Freecycle.
I’ve lived in this apartment 21 years. The neighborhood is really deteriorating and I need more space. The amount of rooms I have is ok, (4 bedrooms) but the rooms are toooooo small. Also, I had the same landlord for about 17 years, but he got old, and in the past 4 years I’ve had 4 landlords. It’s kind of scary thinking I’d have to do all my own repairs, or at least pay for them, but at least I’d never have to move again.
I’ve been offering things on freecycle, and getting rid of lots of that “just in case” or “But it’s still good” stuff. It all is good, but does nobody any good if it’s in a bag in my closet. My house is just too crowded. 21 years of collecting and saving add up to too much stuff.
What you need to do is put things out there into the universe and they float around for a while and then come to rest on someone. My ex came to town for a few days, and decided to help me pay a pretty big bill, and is planning on giving our son a car, who will then give me his. It’s not a van, but it is wheels. Let’s see if this works out. I’ll let you know.
One thing I could do is to join the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support group. I’ll meet people in the same circumstances as me, but maybe not with the same beliefs or lifestyle as me. I’m leary of traditional people, people with money, and religious type people.
I need to find a way to meet people who think more like me, with or without grandkids. I really don’t know if there are any, though.
My hair is straight. I’ve permed it, colored it, let it grow, and cut it. I found it’s easiest to learn what your hair wants to do instead of fighting it. My best choice is a chin-length bob, short in the back, angleing down to the front, parted on the side, with the side it’s parted on shorter than the other. No bangs. I wash it, arrange it the way I want it, and let it dry that way. No prob.
I’m raising 7 grandsons on a combination of child support and welfare. Until 3 years ago I worked in the Social Services field, in a shelter for homeless families, and I loved it. When the last 3 brothers came to live with me, I was only able to work for a few months before the rigors of child care, transportation, needing to stay home with sick kids, appointments, et al, took its toll on my job. That, combined with a new boss who was not nice, made me decide to leave my job, which I actually loved. So, this Fall my youngest boy will be in school all day, so I will start looking again.
The oldest is 19, and the youngest is 5. When the youngest is 18 I’ll be 73. In my household there’s no guarantee that someone will move out when they turn 18, and I don’t neccesarily think that they should if they’re not ready. Soooo….
Those are the things I say when people ask me why I’m saving something. I’m a saver. I save people, kids, and things. I see the good in everything and everyone. This sometimes gets me in trouble. For example, I’m raising 7 grandsons. (Hope I live long enough.) If you need something, ask Gram. This kind of thinking has made my bedroom look like the Wreck of the Hesperas. (sp.) I recently gave away a lot of my stuff on www.freecycle.org and made some people happy, and made it so I can walk all around my bed instead of only on my side.
I just think I’ve lead an interesting and complicated life. I could write a true story including most topics the soaps cover. And they’d all be true.
I remember the Counsiousness Raising Groups of the late 70s and early 80s. We met once a week and had a new topic every week. The world really needs this now.
I was 10 years old, living with my parents and 7 yr old sister. We were temporarily homeless, living for a short time in a motel in Wells, Maine. One night my father took me outside and told me to look up at the sky. It was one of the most spectacular and beautiful things I’ve ever seen. It made our situation seem less overwhelming, to see nature’s awesome reality.
Since I have 4 little boys and usually the 3 teenage boys as well, if I had a minivan I could take them camping again. Also I could shop, keep appointments, and go places with the kids.
