Sort of. Mostly. Feel a little subdued and repressed…like a really good thing to do would be to go out in the woods somewhere and let out one long howl. Unfortunately it’s mucho cold outside, and I don’t fancy a trek in any woods even if it did mean an opportunity to let off some steam. Instead, I’ve been cleaning my house from top to bottom, and deciding, in my mind, what I really, really need to keep VS what’s essentially superfluous. There’s a LOT of superfluous stuff…a good yard sale’s worth, anyway…except who wants to have a yardsale when the wind chill is below zero outside?

In a way….a small way, perhaps, but still in a way…I’m finding all of this rather cathartic.  There are piles of stuff squirreled away in baskets - well, like paid insurance bills from 2003. Is there any need to keep them? I don’t see why. We’re operating off this year’s policy, not the one from 2003. Last year’s (and probably the year before’s as well) Chadwick’s of Boston catalogues - the ones you get every month if you order as much as a pair of pantyhose ONCE from them - I mean dozens of these magazines (!) are piled on the kitchen shelves. Neatly, sure, and no doubt put there so I could take a look when I got around to it …problem is, I just never seem to get around to it, and the pile gets bigger and bigger. THOSE are all going in the recycling bin!

My world has certainly gotten a good jogging! I feel like I’ve done a stint in a cement mixer, actually. DH, who at first (the first day) said, “Well, that’s it! I’m through with software! (and started eyeing the H&R Block ads for income tax preparation trainees) has come to his senses and decided to find himself a new job in his field (which means a reasonable paycheck, even if it’s a little less than he was making). But we’re still moving to DD’s and getting ourselves out of this money pit. We’ve talked at length, and all of our kids, with the exception of DS, who is on the west coast, have their own homes - and since we got this place only a few years ago, it’s not like any of them have any emotional ties to it - so we don’t have any reason to keep this monstrosity when we could break even, get out of it, and be in a perfectly lovely place at far less cost, and be able to help our family some, as well. We should’ve done this in the first place, really. Poor planning on our parts. So now we’ll do it, and get ourselves back on track. If DS needs help getting a house in another few years, I’m sure we can do something for him.

Well, back to sorting, tossing, planning, measuring - and then off to Home Depot to get some paint samples. DD’s apartment colors aren’t compatible with my decor, so they’re going to repaint. Nice when your landlord is your kid, huh?

The three pounds that were off the scale Friday are still off today. Hurray.

 Life goes on.

Love,

E!