Daughter's Anniversary

Surfer Girl and her daughter with a close family friend

Today I am sharing the link to a post I wrote two years ago for the wedding anniversary of my daughter and son-in-law. It was a fun post to write and the joy of their marriage continues today, on this, their 11th wedding anniversary.

Since that post was written, they have added one more pup to their family and we have moved out of snow country to the Land of Flip Flops. (we no longer have to buy a plane ticket to see them!!!)

Happy Anniversary, Surfer Girl and Surfer Boy!

Click on this link to see the post:  A Completely True Story

P.S. If the allegory of the post leaves you clueless, leave a comment and I'll explain. 😉

In Case You Thought I Forgot .....

the Pilgrim People

..... the Pilgrim People made the trip with us from Colorado to Florida this past summer. MANY things were purged from my collection of stuff, but these friends were carefully packed away in a box for the relocation. 

making their entrance

Whereas they used to be in a box stored in the depths of our gigantic basement and every November they had to climb up the stairs to the main floor; this year their box is kept in an upstairs closet, hence, this year's grand entrance was a trip down the stairs.

 facial expressions say so much

Last November, an out-of-state move was one of the farthest things from our minds, so when the Pilgrim People were packed away in December, they had no inkling of what would happen as they slumbered among crumpled sheets of packing paper.

"a merry heart does good ..." Proverbs 17:22

I'll just say that the reactions to this surprising move were varied, reflecting human nature where some are cheerful most of the time and others are cranky more pensive.

a peek into my personal dressing closet

One bright little personality caught a glimpse of a sign I keep in my closet and took the cue to be positive about this change. She and her hubby took up their assigned stations with an attitude that set a good example for the rest.

Speaking of assignments, some locations have more prominence than others, but I appreciate their willingness to serve.

I'm still looking for just the right wall decor to go below the cabinet 

Others are now residing near the family room television and in the kitchen (where their assistance with mealtimes is appreciated).

what will it take to make them happy?!!!

So yes, I have remembered the Pilgrim People and they are adding to the Thanksgiving theme we've got going in our new Florida home. I am glad to have them on display. We love living here, but for the most part, the flora and fauna outdoors still look like summertime. It's good to have the oranges and browns of my ceramic, resin, and felt friends to add autumnal color.

decor pillow purchased at Hobby Lobby

Camping at The Lodge

The Lodge

So very much has happened since I last wrote a serious  update from Grammys Place B and B that I don't even remember when it was posted, nor if it was before or after our relocation from the mountain town of Whistlestop to The Land of Flip Flops. Life is so intensely serious these days that it's hard for me to make the time to write whimsey and not feel a little guilty for being silly.

However, so much has transpired that I really do need to address the comings and goings here, so that's my plan for today. 

By way of a review and to introduce my newer readers, you need to be acquainted with my staff. Grandad Bear and I run the place. Then we have Spud (our handyman) and Rowdy, the neighbor boy who is usually underfoot, Mandy Sue my home-maker-in-training (wearing the pink apron), Lily my research assistant, Mrs Berniece Mertz sporting the tidy grey hair bun is our chef, Rent-a-Nurse is always on-call, and Eaves Dropping (wearing the stylish newspaper hat) is the new Home and Garden Editor for the Gecko Gazette. (She was with the Whistlestop Weekly but chose to transfer with the rest of us to this tropical climate and was hired by the local paper.)

a guest runs up the stairs

Now that we have the introductions out of the way, I need to address what we are calling our place here. I have vacillated between several names but none of them have seemed a real good fit for what we are doing here. My dear husband (and business partner) prefers an informal theme for sake of the comfort of our guests, so the question has been settled and the signs have been made. It's Camp Grandad and Camp Grammy at The Lodge.

the boys' cabin

I still struggle with letting go of the mountain theme, but nobody seems to mind that.

the girls' cabin

As long as the accommodations are comfortable, people are okay with whatever we call the place. 

parents of our campers are given camp counselor duties

We have plenty of rooms, beds, and bathrooms for both campers and counselors.

This division of labor frees up Grandad Bear to keep the books and allows me to oversee the kitchen and housekeeping staff.

cleaning staff prepares for a big weekend

We have had a lot of guests since setting up the business here in The Land of Flip Flops, so our staff seldom has a dull moment.

kitchen staff puts the finishing touches on another gourmet dish

We have a variety of camp experiences to offer our guests, including beautiful grounds for leisurely strolls,

guests walking their dogs

a pond that is home to hungry turtles, huge fish, and a big splashy fountain,

feeding the turtles with carrot slices

and family-style dining with something to tantalize every taste bud.

donuts, sausage links, mandarin oranges, and apple juice

There are opportunities for contact sports in the carpeted gymnasium,

tackling the mommy

and entertaining floor shows from experienced performers.

song and dance demonstration from Vacation Bible School earlier in the summer

We do our best to be a light in the darkness with fun and laughter. The efforts are paying off.

The Lodge at night

Meeting the Neighbors

Beloved at the neighborhood retention pond

A man that hath friends

must show himself friendly:

and there is a friend that

sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

In keeping up this journal about our move from Colorado to Florida, I haven't said much about meeting our neighbors. 

We signed the closing papers on this house June 26th and our furniture arrived July 1st. Thus far, we have said "Hello" and exchanged names with six of the neighbors, but two of those were moving out while we were moving in, so maybe that means we've met only four?? Several others have given us a friendly wave in passing, and in my book that does count for something. 

Because it's so hot and humid here, most of us pay professionals  with large equipment to cut our grass, trim our trees and clean up the cuttings.  That reduces opportunities to meet neighbors while outside. We have been told the October temperatures get much more agreeable. That is when I imagine spontaneous introductions will  happen while people are out on their porches and patios. We look forward to that.

We miss our neighbors from Colorado. Two of them, in particular, became instant friends and we shared good times with them, doing a variety of interesting things together.

Beloved decided earlier this week that we really should make more of an effort, hot weather or not. So we put on our ball caps and sunglasses and took a walk down the street to see who we might find.

It was not a wasted effort. Some of our neighbors (who are obviously native to this climate) were sunning themselves on their concrete slab when one of them spied us approaching. He made a move in our direction and then maybe four more followed him just as quickly. That really started a parade and before we knew it, a virtual crowd of them had approached us with expectancy in their eyes.

A handsome black metal fence kept us from getting any closer, so we stopped to watch them and even called out greetings.

Florida turtles

There were so many of them, and they swam quickly in the pond. I couldn't get a good count, but there were at least four whose backs were the size of a lamp table surface (24 inches) and many more smaller ones were the size of dinner plates.

In addition to all of the turtles (smile -- you know I'm playing with you here), there were huge carp (fish). Beloved, who know's his fish, says the carp were easily four feet long. They stayed underwater and could not be photographed easily.

So yes, like the whimsical people we are, efforts were made to converse with them, albeit a one-sided conversation to be sure. I don't know that turtles make any noise.  They eventually figured out we were not distributing edibles for them, so their interest in us waned a bit. Yet, as we strolled to the other end of the pond, most of them followed alongside us in the water.

They were interesting to watch and will be good entertainment when guests come to see  us. Aside from the many tiny geckos (lizards) and occasional itty bitty tree frogs, we've never before this had 'friendly' reptiles for neighbors. 

A Disgruntled Passenger

our note on the basement door

We are so glad to be past the point of having to keep the house like a model showroom for possible buyers. As I've said before, it's impossible for two imperfect people to live peaceably in a perfect house for long. 

Thankfully the Lord gave us a buyer very quickly, so that uncomfortable stage did not get to point of straining our marriage. The real estate market in Denver and the surrounding areas has been very strong over four years now (since we sold our last house).

chairs-in-waiting

While the main floor of our ranch-style floor plan was as tidy as an old maid's apartment, the basement was another matter. It, too, was very orderly (that's just my style), but we brought down a lot of extra furniture to 'stage' the main areas like they do on HGTV. 

boxes packed by me

When we weren't being shooed out of the house by the real estate showing service, I was very busy in the basement, packing boxes and bins. I confess to enjoying that activity, for the most part, except when I had to make tough choices about things to donate, dispose of, sell, or keep. In our retired status, we don't have Beloved's corporate employer paying for our relocations any more, so keeping the weight of the moving truck in mind is wise.

our basement

Although we are moving to a large house, we will have to bid adieu to the huge basement of The Brown Bungalow. This feature has been one of my favorites in this house.

3 sets of storage shelves

Beloved and his namesake built the most wonderful storage shelves so we could get most things off the floor and keep things tidy. With this move, I don't expect to ever have it this good again with regard to storage space.

So, you are probably wondering why I titled this post, "A Disgruntled Passenger." I will get to that now.

breaking the news to my staff

You may recall my post on April 21st, when I called a meeting of my staff to announce we are moving to the Land of Flip Flops to be closer to the grandchildren (and their parents, too, of course). 

You may also remember  Mandy Sue (dressed in the pink apron with cupcakes and a pink hair bow in the photo above) was the first one to offer herself to get packed for the trip. Her enthusiasm was an inspiration to those who might have felt some reluctance to leave The Brown Bungalow and all the fun of living in Colorado.

Mrs. Berniece Mertz

Today Beloved and I decided to open up some of the boxes that had already been packed so we could combine the contents more efficiently into large plastic bins. When I opened Box #12 (yes, they are all catalogued into a spread sheet on my computer), Mrs. Berniece Mertz popped up with a smile on her face.

"Oh my! Are we here already?!"

"No, my dear," was my reply. "We are still at The Brown Bungalow. We just need to make some changes in our packing arrangements."

A shadow of disappointment flickered across her face, but she quickly recovered herself and returned to where she had been sitting among the crumpled packing paper.

However, a muffled little voice emerged from deeper in the box and I realized all was not well. As I leaned closer in an effort to understand what was being said, it became apparent that the aforementioned Mandy Sue was no longer the cheery positive example to the rest of the staff that I had thought her to be.

I really didn't have the time to deal with her reputation for tantrums, so I refused to let on that I could hear what she was saying.The problem seemed to be she was bitter for not having been given a window seat for this trip across the country.

'A window seat'!??, for goodness' sake! It's a brown packing box!! 

Freddie, packed and ready to go

I thought about it and figured out she must have heard Beloved and me talking about the transfer of the staff into clear bins and she wanted to be able to see out, to see what was going on. Well, I couldn't blame her for that since I always try to claim a window seat on the airlines.  

Rent-a-Nurse, Mrs Berniece Mertz, Eaves Dropping and bunny with hat

Still without letting on that I could hear her complaints, I did my best to arrange her in the clear plastic bin so she could see out, but alas, packing the staff was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. 

packed and waiting for the moving truck

Everything (or every body, I should say) could only fit a certain way if the lid was to snap on securely, so as it turned out, only the smaller passengers were given a clear view of everything. Others had to remain inside the white packing paper...

It's a tight fit for all

Moving is a lot of work that pulls at the emotions in a variety of ways. Blessedly with this move, I can stop and rest (take a nap!) when the strain is too much and then return later to tackle what remains of the job.

It is helpful if all involved try to have a positive attitude and to keep their disgruntlements to a minimum.

News

tulips next-door to The Brown Bungalow

Oh my goodness, have I got news to report to you today! It's been so exciting around here, which is why my blogging has been infrequent and relatively brief. 

But this week the time came to share the latest with my public, beginning with our immediate family, then my co-workers, and also you, my readers.

Yesterday I called a Staff Meeting in the basement of The Brown Bungalow, emphasizing that attendance was mandatory. Mrs Berniece Mertz offered to make brownies and fill a punch bowl for the occasion, although she had no idea why the meeting had been called. But I asked her to not go to the effort. We would have serious work to do immediately after The Announcement and refreshments would just slow us down.

my Staff and friends

Once everyone had collected on top of the sewing tables in the lower level of The Brown Bungalow and I could get their undivided attention (no easy feat with some of these characters!), I cleared my throat and told them that our days at The Brown Bungalow were nearing an end. 

Poor Mandy Sue, terribly sensitive as she is, nearly passed out, fearing they were all being laid off and would shortly find themselves jobless and homeless. Mrs. Berniece Mertz, who has been around the block a few times in her life patted the hand of the younger one in a reassuring manner, urging her to not fear the worst until they had heard me out.

Unruffled, I paused until that little scene had settled down and continued with what I had to say.

The time has come for Grandad and me to relocate away from our mountain home in Whistlestop to a near-beach resort that will put us in closer proximity to our multitude of grandchildren, none of whom live any closer than 1,457.5 miles (give or take a quarter of a mile), and some of them live another 431.9 miles beyond that!

We are moving to a location that can more easily and inexpensively accommodate the visits of all those grandchildren (and their parents, of course), as well as all of our staff.....

And with that clarification I was suddenly deafened with (to quote Surfer Girl) the giggles and squeals of my staff. My control of the meeting was lost thereafter. 

Jumping up and down, high-fiving each other with delighted laughter -- not a one was disappointed to realize we are all going to take leave of the land of freezing snow blizzards and short summers to a place of palm trees, ocean waves, and sandals! Yes, we are moving to the Land of Flip Flops!!

Eventually I was able to make myself heard and could explain the course of action we needed to take next. I rather dreaded this part because I knew they all wanted to pick the choicest seats in my Ford to make the trip. But due to the large number of our staff and the myriad of other items that will need to go in the car, none of them can travel in that manner.

Practicality usually wins out with me and in this circumstance especially. All of the staff will need to be packed away so they can travel via moving boxes.  So although that pronouncement damped their spirits a bit, Mandy Sue did herself proud by presenting herself at the front of the line to get packed away.

She asked me to draw the shape of her little rag doll body on the packing paper, and then she carefully placed herself on top of it and submitted to the gentle folding of paper all around her and got tucked into the moving box. 

Mandy Sue submits to the packing paper

With her winning spirit of cooperation, the remaining members did the same. Not everybody could fit in the same box, but true to my spirit of compulsive organization, their names have been listed on a spread sheet so I know the box number of each doll and can retrieve them easily at the other end of this move. 

(you understand, of course, that at times I take liberties with the truth for the sake of literary fun .. I know which boxes contain dolls and I'll just leave it at that -smile)

some of the packed boxes

Amid the Internet research of available properties, email correspondence with our realtors on both ends of this venture, a house-hunting trip, and communications with family and friends, the boxes will gradually get assembled in an orderly fashion. 

There is also a hefty amount of purging and preserving. We dispose of the unnecessary and keep the precious -- which is no easy task. 

In my teen years, before one of my family's cross country moves, I wanted to take my stack of teen magazines. The Cook on Fifth Street taught me the diligence of taking only what is needed and not waste our money to move items of no value. She suggested  directed me to clip out the articles I wanted to preserve and throw away the rest of the magazines. It was a good lesson that has served me well.

entry hall of The Brown Bungalow

Our current home is not on the market as we have some details to work out first. We are hopeful this can be a house-to-house move. 

Because I have many demands on my time during this season of change, I want my readers to know my blog posts will probably be infrequent. I will read your blogs as time allows and make comments when I can.

At the other end of things I plan to reappear and share pictures of the changes that have taken place. 

Fare thee well for now.

P.S. Yes, this is all true, even though I have shared it with whimsey.

Weekend Reverie

a special place all for me 

The wind is wildly blowing in a front of clouds and possibly some rain. It feels good to be cozy, indoors. My messy bun hairstyle got even more tousled earlier when I was outside.

After a week or so of moving heavy furniture, some down to the basement, my re-designed personal space is finally done the way I like it. As Julia Roberts said in the movie, Steel Magnolias, "Pink is my signature color." 

This past Christmas when we told visiting Grandson #4 he could sleep in my study, he took one look at all of my pink and adamantly declined. His other option was a sleeping bag on an air mattress in the unfinished basement. He took us up on that. We just smiled. He is nine years old. That's what nine-year old boys do. 

the south wall of my study

Yes, I have a Christmas tree in my study (and another one in the dining room) and yes, I know it's nearly Easter. But neither of them are decorated for Christmas, so it's okay (and it's my house and I can do what I want... thinking along the lines of the song by Leslie Uggams, "It's My Party"). There is a lone felt Easter egg at the top of this tree.

My "staff" is still a very real part of my life, as you can see them atop the bookcases. Their conversations haven't been recorded on my blog in a long time now, but I do enjoy their company in this special place I call my own.

Artful Blogging Magazine (Feb/Mar/April 2017)

On Thursday I picked up the current issue of Artful Blogging Magazine at Michaels. If you want a copy for yourself, they should be on display until April 30th. It's an inspiring publication that features bloggers' short biographies, the purpose of their blogs, and samples of their interests. It's good to see what those outside of my blogging community are doing. 

Just to be artsy (after reading the magazine), I'm showing you the banana I enjoyed while flipping the pages... we don't have to be serious ALL the time!

shoes under my desk

Also, just to illustrate how the magazine has affected me, here are my shoes, kicked off because I'm resting my feet...

Nine Patch Quilt in greens

on a folded quilt sitting on top of the heat register on the floor. Very comfy!

hand appliqué' done September 2011

Here is one last piece of whimsey in my study before I close this out: a hand-appliqued mat I made a few years ago while Beloved was in surgery for knee replacement. This design was adapted from something by Mary Engelbreit. I wish I had more time to make projects like this.

Speaking of time (or the lack thereof), we all need to make time to rest, take the load off, and focus on what is beautiful, delightful, and delicious. This is scriptural, you know.

Come to me,

all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and

learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

* * * * *

Well, this time of delightful reverie has to come to an end for me. Thanks for stopping by! I'm closing out comments today because I've got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow and won't have time to respond.

Happy weekend to all!