Where've Ya Been???

Cox Comb in Paducah, Kentucky

Oh wait! It's not, "Where YOU'VE been," but rather, "Where have I been?"

Beloved at Whitehaven Welcome Center in Paducah, Kentucky

An opening came for The Cook on Fifth Street to move into assisted living, so Beloved and I made a car trip into the midwest to help with that effort.

We drove a couple of days, leaving behind the Land of Flip Flops and at our very first potty stop, I had to dig into my luggage to pull out socks and a sweatshirt! It was cold!! I was mildly surprised at how acclimated I had become to much warmer weather.

Jerry (on left) and Danny (on right) welcomed us

Sister, who also has this penchant for whimsey (it runs strong in my family), had positioned her friends on the bed,  waiting for us when we got to our room in her house.

They wanted to know if we had brought one of my staff members
with us. Sadly, I did not.

We arrived just in time for Former Farmer, nephew-in-law, and Beloved to move the big stuff and for we girls to bring over boxes, and The Cook herself.

unpacking her kitchen

There were serious conversations about what to bring and what to leave behind. This was a noteworthy exercise in 'down-sizing.'

hangars for the closet

Decisions had to be made, too, about the best use of closet and drawer space.

the year my grandfather won a free turkey
from his barber shop

Of course, this process stirred up a great deal of memories and much nostalgia.

alterations in progress

In addition to the actual move, I was called upon to hem up clothing for my mother's refreshed wardrobe for her new life at the assisted living center. The final tally came to 8 pair of slacks, 1 pair of jeans, and 2 pair of jammie pants.

removing candle wax from a pair of slacks with an iron and brown paper bags

I also learned how to remove candle wax from polyester via instructions on the Internet -- a very satisfying accomplishment, I should add!

Beloved vacuums the basement

We pretty much took our marching orders from Sister, since our mother has been living next door to her for the past ten years and she best knew what needed to be done on this venture.

Sister grills our lunch while Beloved checks his phone

Although we have been really enjoying our new home in the Land of Flip Flops since this past June, it was good to travel north to see some real autumn color. Sister and Former Farmer have much of that on their property. It's been good to see it for ourselves.

Monday Night Football

We took time out to watch our team on Monday night football.

Sister, The Cook on Fifth Street, and me

On our last full day in town, Beloved and I paid my mother one more visit. There is still much to be done with what has been 'left behind' but we'll take the holiday season off and get back to it again after the first of the year.

Crewel embroidery by my mother

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