2021 PORCH PARTIES

So, in my ongoing effort to enjoy our final months in this house, I am having more than my usual allotment of porch parties. (once or twice a week!) This week, TMBC is coming on Tuesday...

For Labor Day, I made brats, and LP and Jeanne tag-teamed the rest of the meal...It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be out on the porch.

 

Last week, the MDF came on Wednesday -- which happened to be Sandy's birthday!

Sandy has been cutting my hair for 30 years, but I'm a late-comer to this group.  Evelyn and Sandy (on the right) have been friends since Kindergarten.

Growing up in LeClaire, Iowa, Sue was Sandy's next door neighbor.

 

These women have been getting together once a week since they were newlyweds...for over 50 years. They're all single now (widowed or divorced).  Sandy is the ringleader, and she does most of the planning and coordinating. It could be lunch at the local winery, or they take turns hosting...

This week, since we were just back from Pennsylvania, I decided to do a Pennsylvania-themed lunch.

I started by sauteing 5 pounds of Vidalia onions.  They are an integral part of both the Philly cheesesteak AND the perioges.

It was Sandy's birthday -- so I hung a banner and some festive noisemakers...

I warmed some crusty rolls.

Soft pretzels for our our appetizer.

Steak-ums for our cheesesteaks.

White American cheese...

After the cheese is melted, you add a BUNCH of caramelized onions!!

Of course, the perioges also need onions...

To finish off this most perfect lunch, I served Cheesecake (from Eli's). 

I did all the cooking in the morning -- then just assembled everything for lunch.  THEN, I assembled a second round for supper that night -- and invited Cal and Jeanne.

Although, this is a picture from an earlier party -- Cal's birthday was August 5 -- and I ALWAYS make him a steak dinner. and we ALWAYS eat on the porch.

Oh, yeah, I am really going to miss this porch. But, in the history of porches -- nobody ever enjoyed one more than I did.  As life goes -- that's a pretty big win...

The Pickle Question

Every day is another mission....and I wonder if I'm going to miss this level of activity after we actually MOVE.

Naaaaaawwww..........

When I look back at the last year, it's been one major clean-up after another. Starting with cleaning out the freezers...then, the closets. First, the master bedroom -- we took 8 giant garbage bags to the Goodwill store. Then, the upstairs hall closet...the living room coat closet...the storage closet in the front bedroom...Then, the game cabinet, the puzzle collection...

Of course -- THEN THERE WAS THE BASEMENT.....

Eventually, the tubs of linens, and all the expired cans and old beer in the root cellar...

The kitchen cupboards, and then the pantry...OMG....we filled at least 3 garbage bags full of expired cans.

By "we" -- I mean Carrie and me. Carrie has been helping me since she was 14 years old...(I think this year she will be 45?)...She knows this house better than I do -- and she is DELIGHTED I'm finally clearing out my clutter.

I'm not going to post before and after pictures of my Swedish Death Cleaning. I mean -- you've gotta be tired of that topic.

I am trying to make the most of our last summer in this house we built and loved so much.  Which means I have porch parties almost every week.  I have my sisters over once a month or so, and Linda and Don came for Brats on Memorial Day.  Last week, I had the MDF out for their last porch party.  Sue's favorite thing is deviled eggs.  

But here's the kind of big issue I'm dealing with now...

  Sue loves deviled eggs...

I make them with all the usual suspects...mayo, mustard, a little sugar -- and my secret ingredient is sweet pickle juice. (a tip from Val Brekke long long ago)...

I got the pickle jar out of the refrigerator -- and realized there are only two pickles left. 

Hummm... It probably took me a year to finish off this jar of sweet pickles. 

So -- should I buy another jar? 

Or wait until we move?

Oh, yeah.  Life's conundrums, eh? 

It's hard to find activities for John -- but he enjoyed peeling the eggs!

WHILE WE WERE GONE...

So, the re-entry has been going fine....The KEY to my happiness, of course, is --AS ALWAYS --

LOWER EXPECTATIONS...!!

John was upset because Calvin did A LOT OF WORK in the yard during the week we were gone. But I knew that would happen.

40 years ago (or so) -- we had just moved into this house, and the State was widening the highway in front of our house. They were adding shoulders to the road -- and digging out a lot of dirt to create bigger ditches. One day, John asked the crew if he could have a couple of loads of dirt to level out our yard. 

They said "sure thing" -- and two dump trucks brought HUGE loads of dirt down our lane...He had them dump it at the end of our driveway.  Which, unfortunately, prevented me from ever being able to pull a car into our brand new, detached garage.  It seemed like a temporary issue that wasn't much of a problem.  After all, it was summer time...

But it was A LOT MORE DIRT than he really needed or could reasonably wheelbarrow to a more useful location. So you know what happened next...

40 years accidentally slipped by -- and that pile of random dirt grew a robust crop of horseweeds every year...then trees started to prosper. The pesky, dirty kind like walnut and locust.

As Calvin was working along the side of the garage, he found 100 pound gas containers...various metal fence posts, etc.

Concrete blocks, old windows and pieces of plywood had to be pulled out before he could actually get at the weeds...ugh...

This is a pretty good "before" picture. You can't see how big the pile of dirt actually is -- because it looks like a natural hill that we built around...

But you can see that it totally prevented a car from actually making a turn to enter the garage...ugh...

The biggest tree is over 40 ft. tall.  And VERY healthy....I had NO IDEA what a big job this was gonna be.

On the day we pulled out, Calvin was still digging through to find the metal junk and debris...

 

I haven't taken the "after" picture yet -- but it ain't exactly over, either. As it turns out, the tree was so tall, and growing in such a way, that just cutting it down, it would have fallen right on the garage. So, Calvin brought down his main helper (his wife Jeanne) -- and had her operate his big tractor so he could stand up in the bucket to top the tree.... As best he could. 

Then, as he continued to cut away, he attached big straps to the large limbs so Jeanne could pull them down in the right direction...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? 

Remember -- my brother had a botched heart valve surgery, followed by a stroke and over 60 days in intensive care.  His lungs are shot and he walks with a cane.  YIKES...

I was horrified when I heard all that was involved in removing this mound of dirt and the biggest tree...

But Calvin was pretty darned pleased with himself.  

When we came home, yes, John was annoyed that Cal was "making another mess"...

 

THE ONLINE AUCTION

It seems like years ago since the auction guys loaded up my stuff on that trailer...

I almost forgot that they picked up that black office chair...

Of course, it was the HOTTEST day of the summer!!

I can hardly remember all the linens I measured and marked...now I worry about what the pictures will look like...?

Looking back, this freezer started it all. We had a Derecho in Iowa in August 2019, and our electricity was off for a week, so I had to clean out THREE freezers. Ugh. This one never got plugged in again...

The freezer is in excellent condition. And I am hoping it finds a good home. 

 

But, of course, my heart belongs to the BLANKETS AND QUILTS that are packed up in that freezer. As I lovingly measured and then folded each item, I was letting go.  I honored it by remembering when and where I acquired it...how long I've owned it....how many times I washed it, or put it on my bed, or used it for a guest.

Obviously, I collected WAY TOO MUCH STUFF....and much of it lived for years in plastic tubs, sitting on shelves in my basement.  So it is definitely time for these beautiful linens to get back out into the world.  To be appreciated and USED by their new owners.

THE AUCTION IS FINALLY HERE

I've been working on and writing about this massive downsizing project for over a year...IT'S A LOT, PEOPLE..!!

To be honest, it isn't a horrible job. I am actually enjoying some parts of this process. For one thing, every box or bag that leaves this house feels like a weight that has been lifted off my back.

Really -- that part feels so wonderful, I wonder why I waited for so many years to do it!!

But life is about stages. When you're in your 20's, it's all about learning and earning. What will you do for a job? Where will you live? Who will you marry? In your 30's, it's about making a home, having children, settling into your job, mowing the grass, visiting Disney World..

Downsizing is like having a baby or buying your first house. When you're ready -- you're ready.

That sounds good -- but often people wait too long...and it's pretty easy to miss the window. You find out your eggs are too old for you to have a baby...or you get priced out of the housing market...or you're too feeble to start your lawnmower or go up and down the basement steps...

Human nature dictates that we always think we've got time....maybe not a lot of time. But more time. Some time anyway....

This whole process for me has been a big wake up call. That time is running out. But I'm not sad. I'm grateful to have lived for SEVEN DECADES...with Ritaluck all along the way.

I have a wonderful life...full of people I love who've loved me back. I live in a beautiful place, in a wonderful country and I want to enjoy these final chapters of my life and get my house in order.

Figuratively and literally.

And I am delighted to announce that THE AUCTION WILL BE HAPPENING. It will start on September 30th...and end on October 7th. Here's the Dosland Auction website.

Meanwhile -- I'll keep digging...

Our Pennsylvania Visit

So, there's a lot to do. The Re-entry has been kinda crazy....as they always are.

But I have no regrets. I am SO GLAD we went to Pennsylvania...for all the obvious reasons.

We went to PA every single year of our lives....but the last time we went was 2017. Of course, with the aide of 20-20 hindsight, I can see that John's dementia was already beginning at that time. Maybe it's a good thing none of us know the future, eh?

Anyway -- John always drove every mile of that trip. For over 40 years...driving to Pennsylvania was always HIS JOB...

This time -- driving was my job. Which meant we stopped at a hotel in Ohio both coming and going.

I hope to catch up with a lot of things this week. The house...my Iowa people (Kim and Valerie are BOTH in nursing homes right now)....this blog...there's an AUCTION HAPPENING SOON (I hope)....

Well -- you get the idea. There's a lot happening

It was a LONG ride...most of it on I-80.  On the first day, after six hours in the car, John said, "I'll be glad when we get home."

I did manage to find John a blueberry pancake on our last day.

We stayed in a hotel both coming and going...an EXCELLENT idea.

I had my computer, and did manage to get some work done.

We stopped at a Rest Area for a picnic lunch...and to walk around a bit.

A Re-Entry

I'M BACK..!!

I decided to take John to Pennsylvania to see his family. We left on Sunday, September 12, and came home on Saturday, September 18th.

It was a bittersweet trip. John didn't recognize a lot of people....

I cried every day.

But I'm glad we went. Because I know he is never going to be better than he is right this minute...and I wanted him to be able to reminisce about his childhood and some of his crazy family stories....because those memories are fading fast...