What I Have Done Lately

Amazing how little I can do when my back hurts. Yes, it has been bothering me this week, and my chiropractor was away to a conference for a long weekend. I got adjusted and feel a lot better. Next I finish sorting through the boxes I brought back with me, to decide what will be stored in the loft – hopefully most of it. However, I do need to label things well, as these will be out of my reach for a while, and if I send someone up the ladder to find something, it will have to be marked.

set for charity auction

I have been working on my jewelry. I made a necklace and earring set for Sharon to put into a charity auction for her dog rescue group. I also made myself a necklace for an upcoming wedding. I have had such positive feedback about my beads and rings items – chain maille enhanced with beads – that I will be setting up to sell it. I just have not yet decided where: online, local stores, or both. I need more inventory before that, so am gradually building it. I am a hobbyist, not full-time.

my jewelry for wedding

I need to start studying supplemental insurance for Medicare, as I am eligible this fall and my company benefits change this year, requiring me to pick a supplemental policy. I am certainly getting a lot of mail on the subject. I guess our birth dates are easily found. I already knew AARP knows when you are nearly eligible.

I ordered a new (refurbished) phone, so I will have a SC number soon, in addition to VA. I hope I can get everyone to change my entry to a new number – both personal and business – before I drop the old number. I plan to keep it until the old house sells. I did get a semi-smart phone, at a very low price. Since I got a very high recommendation for one model, but don’t want to spend so much when a new one is being released this fall, I figure this is a temporary one, and gives me a smaller learning curve.

I am so looking forward to the next trip to Roanoke, to finally get the house staged and on the market. From there, I will be heading for Chicago for my brother’s wedding. That will be fun.

 

Related to my prior posting, Solar Roadways (http://solarroadways.com/intro.shtml) is now past one-third of its goal by May 31 to reach $1,000,000 in donations for the next phase.

What a concept!

Solar Roadways – I ran across information about this company last week, and have spent a lot of time reading their pages and just being amazed at how revolutionary their road concept is. The brainstorming sessions must have been a lot of fun. I have been inching toward as green as possible for our Soul’s Ease venture, but this is on a gigantic scale. In the past, I have seen suggestions for solar panels on covered parking lots, but this is better yet, with all roadway, parking, sidewalk, playground, etc. areas being covered with solar panels. Please take time to look at their videos or TED talk, and I hope you will be as excited about the concept as I am. I have no connection to this company or anyone employed there, but I have sent a contribution to the current fundraising. I hope to see even a small part happen in my lifetime.
http://solarroadways.com/intro.shtml
I am still saying Wow! about this.  Here’s one of their press pictures of an artist’s rendition of a full street in Sandpoint, Idaho covered with solar panels.

 

And here is a picture of their parking lot prototype.

 

Ready to Stage House

Just back from a big trip to Roanoke – I took a handyman with me to take care of a number of chores and some heavy lifting. Since I had a second driver, I rented a truck from Penske and cleared a lot of stuff. First was a load to the dump, then hauling back some of the big stuff I don’t need around for staging the house. Sharon’s washer had recently died, so I brought one back for her, also a freezer for us to share, and lots of boxes of my stuff.

cleared attic stairs

I now have a totally empty and clean attic, just have to scrub and stage the living floor, and a little more clearing and cleaning in the basement. I do have a basement room where I can store more boxes of stuff until another trip or until the house sells. No, I have not put it on the market yet, but I expect to do so within a month. I was happy to see a house three over from mine sold since the last time I was there.

bedroom without boxes

I had a scary deja vu, was at a store (Lowe’s Garden Center this time), and as I took a step back from the register, a woman had pulled up too close behind me and I almost fell over her cart. I was able to grab a pole and catch myself, but considering how similar that was to ten years ago when I broke my leg without falling down, it did shake me up. Other than wrenching my shoulder, I did not injure myself. It has now been adjusted and I feel okay. I have been trying to take things easy since I got back, knowing I don’t have the stamina I did twenty years ago when I made my last move.

We are so pleased with Jimmy (the handyman who went with me)’s mechanical ability. He helped start lawnmowers for two people in Roanoke, then yesterday he got Sharon’s mower started and surprisingly, the chipper we brought back. I had only used it three times because I could not pull start it. It has not run since 1999 when my father last started it. I figured the engine might have locked up, but it now runs. We can shred the brush pile instead of burning it, and have free mulch. Of course we will have to have someone run it for us.

dining room with only a box of painting supplies and cluttered table

I guess it is about time for the two city commute to end, as my cats were worse than ever about my being gone, and I was only gone five nights. I do have a couple of more long trips planned, though. They will be like velcro and worse, leave hair all over me when I return.