I guess if I were to sum up the last week and a half, I would have to say it's been relatively calm! Relative is always the key word in my life these days, but I will settle for days where the house or the world doesn't feel like it's falling in around me!
Today Brad and I officially got our Kansas drivers licenses. And man was it painful! Not so much the fact that I had to tell them my actual weight, but the wait to get up to the counter just to share that awful secret took almost three and a half hours! I never thought anyone could make the California DMV look efficient! I love you Kansas, but man oh man, you need to make some changes to your licensing process! Very inept and horrible use of employee time and manpower. But it's done! So I now officially have KU alumni tags on my truck (sporting a Jayhawk as I drive down the road!) and a Kansas drivers license. Guess there is no denying I am back now!
I'm starting to do all of those things you do when you move: found a dentist that I actually really like, found a hairdresser that I love the way she cuts my hair and so today I decided it was time to call and make a doctors appointment with a woman that came highly recommended. She must be good - I can't get in until December!! Geez! Guess I had better try to stay healthy until then! So what does that leave ..... a mechanic (will get my truck serviced next week)....guess I could really use a massage, so will look around for that! Oh, and my cleaning lady starts tomorrow! Woo hoo!!! Is it possible that perhaps my house might actually smell like something other than DOG for a few days at least!
On the home front, I had my second visit from Westar Energy and I must say that as much as I hate feeling like I am funding every dependent of an employee to get a college education, I have been very happy with the folks they have sent out. Dan the Man came out last week and basically replaced the meter that was on there with a new one and said they had to take it in for testing because they couldn't really do that in the field. I am supposed to be informed of what they find.... nothing yet.... but judging from the speed with which my little dial still spins, I am guessing that any issues are on my end and not theirs. Either way, it will be good to know.
Tomorrow afternoon I have an electrician coming. Talked to him on the phone and he says he can trouble shoot the house. I am having guarded optimism though, since the first time he was supposed to call me back he didn't so I called him and then he called me back yesterday to say he had all of the information except the time we had agreed to meet! I have another option in my back pocket in case I am not impressed with this guy! It's time to get this electrical party started! (sorry for the horrible humor but I couldn't resist!)
For now, I have put the pots and pans back over what appears the opening to the Underground Railroad in my kitchen. Figured there is not much I can do at the moment and it might be good to wait and see what happens in the winter - figure out whether it's just a source for an Arctic blast or if it is part of the HVAC air return system. Sprayed about half a gallon of degreaser, added some shelf paper and I am at least buying myself some time.
The pool is closed for the season! Never thought I would be so happy to say that! We came home from Milwaukee and the pool company had actually gotten to it early! AND it turns out our realtor swears that the pool is supposed to be covered on the Home Warranty, so she is looking into it, since - come on, we all know it - there will be problems when we start it up next spring/summer!
Butler football is in full swing. The Bulldogs are off to a 2-2 start, but mostly this season, I approach every game with my own prayer of "please don't let Jeff get hurt!". He has been so lucky to this point that I just want him to get through this season unscathed. He had a great game on Saturday with 6 tackles - one for a 5 yard loss - and a fumble recovery! Such fun to see him out there!!
This last weekend Brad and I turned the game into a road trip adventure and drove. We stayed Friday night in Evansville, Indiana and went to an Allison Krauss concert. She has been my favorite artist for a very long time and this concert did nothing to change that standing. She is amazing and so her band! Then woke up Saturday morning and drove to Indy for the game, left Indy about 4 p.m. and spent the night in the St. Louis area before getting home to Wichita about 2 p.m. Not bad, but not something we want to do every weekend! It's always nice to have Brad captive in the car and to myself from time to time!
So due to the crazy Fall schedule, there is less going on at the house and things are more along the lines of "getting by". I am always determined to organize and clean - and yet I find myself outside finishing the demo of the old hot tub, moving wood chips from my huge pile into some flower beds, cleaning the pond and pulling weeds. I am beginning to think the only way I am going to ever get to the "inside the house" list is when the weather turns. Oh well. Not like anything is going anywhere!
But I will leave you with two great stories...... One I have been meaning to share for some time but there has been too much else to write about, so I forget or figure you have all stopped reading by now. For those of you that have hung on, you're going to like this!
The joy of moving and having to change your cell phone number is that, like the house, it seems to have it's own history. Mine is not that exciting - seems like most of the inadvertent calls and texts I get relate to some catering company that specializes in fried chicken and catfish! But Brad's number has been a source of great amusement for us! He started getting computer generated calls within the first few weeks we had our new numbers - all of them from some high school! We knew something was up when he was told to report for football practice! As he himself said, any high school football team that needs him is in for a very long season! He got several calls about football and while we kept saying that he needed to call and try to get the number taken off the list, we wondered if he kept it going if maybe we would find out that he was elected Homecoming King or something!!! He got calls for Band practice, for Booster club meetings, for registration..... apparently he is a very vital part of this high school! If only we knew where it was! But alas, I think he did finally call them and ask them to take his number off of their automatic dial, so that's over. Sigh ...........
And story number two does relate to the house. While I haven't found any more bowling balls or trap doors or anything like that, I did learn a little history about the owners who had the house before the folks we bought it from. A neighbor I just met informed me that he was a dentist .... who apparently grew pot in the greenhouse!!! He was out of town at some point and had someone that was staying here. Apparently they were not privy to the information of the crop in the greenhouse and came home one evening to find a door was ajar so they called the police! Ooops! Surprise!! As this neighbor so politely put it ......." he had to move"! One of my friends made the comment when I found the little space below the kitchen that maybe that is where they hid the drugs. I think she may be on to something!
So once again, I do so wish that these walls could talk! What a book they could write! It also explains to me perhaps why the house has taken so long to feel settled. It's had a pretty tumultuous past! I am nursing it back to health but it's quite obvious that I am going to have to be patient. Maybe another blessing is in order!
The song I am posting today is an Allison Krauss song from her new album Paper Airplanes, called "These Days". It just is one that really resonates with me - she sings about a road less traveled and about not being able to be something you're not, or knowing where you belong, which is what I have felt a lot this summer. It's getting easier and better, but I'm not going to lie ----- it obviously hasn't been easy. But at least these days I feel like I am waking up with hope for a good day ahead! That's enough for me for now.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
.... on the road again
Just like old times - I am blogging from the road! I am in Milwaukee, Wisconsin right now, tagging along while Brad works and I get to play! He is a visiting professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and was chosen to give the Al McGuire Memorial Lecture at the Children's Hospital. Mr Big Pants! It was well deserved and I know he is knocking them dead! Mostly my job on this trip seems to be sleeping in, playing during the daytime and getting to go to dinner with everyone each night! THIS I could get used to!
Meanwhile, back at the house .........
It's nice to have the weather cool off and the windows open. The electric meter is still spinning wildly but we are working on it. Westar came out on Tuesday - even though they were hesitant and told me that they had no record of a second meter on my house and it probably wasn't theirs! Guess what? It was!! Sure threw them for a loop! A very nice young lady was the one who came to the house and we did some sleuthing (okay, mostly it was sleuthing I had already done, but I will let her share some credit since she did make a lot of phone calls to the bosses while she was there). Turns out that 30-40 years ago sometimes people had a meter installed just to follow consumption of one particular thing. In this case, it is my irrigation well! It only turns when the sprinklers are running. At first she told me she was going to have to put a new meter on it and register it so all I could think of was "Well S!@%#! Now my bill will be even HIGHER!" So she did but before she left she got a call back and apparently it already shows on the bill so they told her to put the old one back on. She was not qualified to work on my "big ass" meter as it was larger than she is certified for, so we had to set up an appointment for a different service person to come for that. I wanted to be there, so that is scheduled for Monday. According to her, they should be able to check everything from the meter all the way back to the transformer, so MAYBE we can either find the trouble or rule some things out! Progress!
And oddly enough, we did get the 3rd electric bill and I never thought in my life I would be happy to see that amount on on a bill, but it was actually a fair amount lower than the last one and it was hot all of August! I guess my energy Nazi ways made a difference! Now I just need to get to the point where I feel like I can turn on any light I want in my own house!
The pool is getting closed for the season next week supposedly. Hooray! It has had so many issues right now that it will be a welcome relief. Right now it's just an energy sucking, poorly functioning leaf catcher! We will deal with it in the spring .............
My nephew sent me the bill for the dumpster that sat in my driveway and carted off all of the old planter box and dirt and rock....... once again we are recording setting and filled it with a weight that I didn't think was possible! One more very large check to write! If I had known it was going to cost that much, I might have figured out a place to use it in the yard somehow! Live and learn!
And in between the chaos that is the house, I try to have a life. Went to my first Medical Alliance meeting, which is basically the wives of area docs from Wichita. HATE these things but the Dean's wife invited me as her guest, so what do you do? It was a fashion show to boot! Oh yeah, you heard me right! Yours truly went to a fashion show!! I survived and made nice and met some nice ladies, but definitely not my cup of tea!
I gave up and decided that if I waited until the house was settled to hire a cleaning lady that it would never happen so have a gal that is doing to start coming every two weeks. I think this will be a good thing but I just hope she is prepared for the mountains of dog hair!!
So now, it's time to shower and get ready to hang out with my oldest sister, who lives about a half hour from Milwaukee, Wren. She is driving up and we are going to spend the day hanging out. Should be fun. No song for today as I can't really think of the best one to do so you are on your own for music this morning!
Meanwhile, back at the house .........
It's nice to have the weather cool off and the windows open. The electric meter is still spinning wildly but we are working on it. Westar came out on Tuesday - even though they were hesitant and told me that they had no record of a second meter on my house and it probably wasn't theirs! Guess what? It was!! Sure threw them for a loop! A very nice young lady was the one who came to the house and we did some sleuthing (okay, mostly it was sleuthing I had already done, but I will let her share some credit since she did make a lot of phone calls to the bosses while she was there). Turns out that 30-40 years ago sometimes people had a meter installed just to follow consumption of one particular thing. In this case, it is my irrigation well! It only turns when the sprinklers are running. At first she told me she was going to have to put a new meter on it and register it so all I could think of was "Well S!@%#! Now my bill will be even HIGHER!" So she did but before she left she got a call back and apparently it already shows on the bill so they told her to put the old one back on. She was not qualified to work on my "big ass" meter as it was larger than she is certified for, so we had to set up an appointment for a different service person to come for that. I wanted to be there, so that is scheduled for Monday. According to her, they should be able to check everything from the meter all the way back to the transformer, so MAYBE we can either find the trouble or rule some things out! Progress!
And oddly enough, we did get the 3rd electric bill and I never thought in my life I would be happy to see that amount on on a bill, but it was actually a fair amount lower than the last one and it was hot all of August! I guess my energy Nazi ways made a difference! Now I just need to get to the point where I feel like I can turn on any light I want in my own house!
The pool is getting closed for the season next week supposedly. Hooray! It has had so many issues right now that it will be a welcome relief. Right now it's just an energy sucking, poorly functioning leaf catcher! We will deal with it in the spring .............
My nephew sent me the bill for the dumpster that sat in my driveway and carted off all of the old planter box and dirt and rock....... once again we are recording setting and filled it with a weight that I didn't think was possible! One more very large check to write! If I had known it was going to cost that much, I might have figured out a place to use it in the yard somehow! Live and learn!
And in between the chaos that is the house, I try to have a life. Went to my first Medical Alliance meeting, which is basically the wives of area docs from Wichita. HATE these things but the Dean's wife invited me as her guest, so what do you do? It was a fashion show to boot! Oh yeah, you heard me right! Yours truly went to a fashion show!! I survived and made nice and met some nice ladies, but definitely not my cup of tea!
I gave up and decided that if I waited until the house was settled to hire a cleaning lady that it would never happen so have a gal that is doing to start coming every two weeks. I think this will be a good thing but I just hope she is prepared for the mountains of dog hair!!
So now, it's time to shower and get ready to hang out with my oldest sister, who lives about a half hour from Milwaukee, Wren. She is driving up and we are going to spend the day hanging out. Should be fun. No song for today as I can't really think of the best one to do so you are on your own for music this morning!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
I know it gets redundant, but it always amazes me when I see how long I go between posts on here. For a woman who is a self professed chatter box, it amazes me that I am not writing more often. But then again, when the end of the day comes and I am tired, all I want to do is head to bed.
So let's see .... what's new since I last wrote..... It's September! And the weather seems to have finally broken from the ungodly heat. We actually set a record in Wichita this summer - 53 days over 100 degrees, which is the most since the Dust Bowl in 1936! Not exactly how I wanted to be welcomed to my new locale, but what do you do? Mostly this summer, I seem to have sweated, cried and worried. It's been kind of a crazy three months here and it's just now that I am beginning to realize just how hard they were. I was overwhelmed - plain and simple. No other words for it and no other way around it. And I'm pretty sure from a clinical perspective, I was depressed. Nothing new to me, but sort of had to "tough it out" since the health care coverage didn't kick in until this month and it's one of those things that - like so many times before in my life - I just felt like I had to muddle through. I missed my mountains and my fresh air and my routine. Felt like I had traded it in for a money pit on the surface of the sun. Suck it up and keep moving...... But now that the temperature has dropped, the A/C can be turned off and the windows can be opened, it's amazing what it has done for me! I am totally fresh air and sunlight dependent!
The house is ..... the house! There have been no major miracles in the last week and a half, no interventions by HGTV to totally rebuild my house (dear God in heaven - if there is anyone out there reading this with HGTV connections, PLEASE give them my name and number!!!!), but it's okay. For whatever reason, this is a good week! It feels like there is hope. And for today, that is enough.
Got the second electric bill - worse than the first! There are some serious issues going on here. To that end, I have called the energy company - Westar Energy - and asked them to come to the house and explain a few things to me about my meter. I have requested that they do it when I am here and little do they know that my plan is to ask them to check every connection from the transformer to the house! That will be Monday. If they do that and it all checks out, I have decided to hire an electrical company and have them troubleshoot the house. It may cost me a lot, but quite honestly, it will be worth it to figure this out and it should pay for itself in short order. So I guess that at least I feel like there is a plan! And I have come to realize that I am glad that I am a bit of a pit bull when it comes to my house and my well being! If I don't stand up and fight for myself, who will?!
Brad seems to be adjusting into his new job, which has helped me adapt to my new environment as well. You hate to admit that you are so totally dependent on someone else for your well being, but quite honestly, he is my rock and when he seems to struggle, I struggle. It's getting better day by day.
As for the house...... I got my new cook top put in! It wasn't necessarily what I wanted, but the home warranty covered most of the cost and for now, it's good enough. Not sure I will ever adjust to electric versus gas, but for now, it will do. Hence the song of the day: I have come to realize that as much as I complain and a bitch and moan, I am provided for. I may not always get what I want - but I get what I need!
The pool is limping along until we can get it closed up for the season - sometime in the last week of September. It needs a new filter and maybe a new pump. I pray it just keeps working until then! The pond is doing well but same thing - needs a new pump. The lawn is mostly green but now I have to figure out how the heck you shut down a well for the winter in the coming months. Now that it's nice weather and time to open the windows, I had to order a couple of screen doors and a few screens. No small task when they are Pella doors and windows. Or I guess I should say no small financial task. Pella knew what they were doing making their doors so specialized that you can only get their product. You don't EVEN want to know what I had to pay to have two sliding patio screen doors made! All I can say is that they had better slide like butter and last for a million years! But the fresh air invigorates me, so I pay.........
And then there is football! Jeff's senior season started last weekend! Brad and I have continued our commitment to get to every game we can. The last four seasons (re-shirt freshman through junior year), we were lucky enough to mostly have direct flights, but here, everything is a connection. But we go. And we go with a true appreciation of how lucky our son is to have this experience. He is blessed - as are we. I will try to truly enjoy each and every minute he is on the field in his last season - all the while holding my breath with my real hope being that he just gets through each game unscathed. It was a wonderful distraction from all of the chaos of my life last weekend, and I will try to look at each weekend as my own little getaway!
As for now ......I've actually given myself permission to take a day off here and there! I haven't really done that for the first three months and it's time. There is so much to do, but I have learned that I have to do that as well. Whatever is waiting for me to get done will be there tomorrow. I am trying to be the tortoise rather than the hare! And while there are so many times I feel like what I have done is not enough - there are other times when I realize we have done a lot.
I am going to add some pictures for you ... finally! I have a few more "afters" that I need to take, but you can see at least some of the things that I have been talking about.
But I can't leave you without telling you about today's wacky discovery. In order for the new cook top to be put in, I cleared out all of the cabinets below it. This morning I figured it was time to put it all back, so as I opened up the cabinet doors, I looked inside and realized that there was something odd about the floor of the cabinet below the cook top. It seemed like there was a piece that had been "cut out" and then put back in. Recognizing it as a door to a space below, I pried it up. Imagine my surprise when I saw - about two feet below - dirt! It appears that at least half of the kitchen has this odd crawl space under it. Totally uninsulated, dirt floor, empty space! My guess is that it's going to be awfully cold in that area come winter unless I do something!! I have no idea what the rationale for this is!!!! I am not sure I will ever completely understand this house!!!
So it's off to bed for me. Catching a flight to Indianapolis tomorrow for another game - go Bulldogs!!! Today is also my oldest son, Matt's, birthday. 26 years ago I became a mom. It truly is the best thing that ever happened to me and in the midst of all of the chaos that is my life right now, those are the things that I try to remember.
So it's like the song says ........ you can't always get what you want..........but if you try sometimes .... you might find ..... you get what you need.....
So let's see .... what's new since I last wrote..... It's September! And the weather seems to have finally broken from the ungodly heat. We actually set a record in Wichita this summer - 53 days over 100 degrees, which is the most since the Dust Bowl in 1936! Not exactly how I wanted to be welcomed to my new locale, but what do you do? Mostly this summer, I seem to have sweated, cried and worried. It's been kind of a crazy three months here and it's just now that I am beginning to realize just how hard they were. I was overwhelmed - plain and simple. No other words for it and no other way around it. And I'm pretty sure from a clinical perspective, I was depressed. Nothing new to me, but sort of had to "tough it out" since the health care coverage didn't kick in until this month and it's one of those things that - like so many times before in my life - I just felt like I had to muddle through. I missed my mountains and my fresh air and my routine. Felt like I had traded it in for a money pit on the surface of the sun. Suck it up and keep moving...... But now that the temperature has dropped, the A/C can be turned off and the windows can be opened, it's amazing what it has done for me! I am totally fresh air and sunlight dependent!
The house is ..... the house! There have been no major miracles in the last week and a half, no interventions by HGTV to totally rebuild my house (dear God in heaven - if there is anyone out there reading this with HGTV connections, PLEASE give them my name and number!!!!), but it's okay. For whatever reason, this is a good week! It feels like there is hope. And for today, that is enough.
Got the second electric bill - worse than the first! There are some serious issues going on here. To that end, I have called the energy company - Westar Energy - and asked them to come to the house and explain a few things to me about my meter. I have requested that they do it when I am here and little do they know that my plan is to ask them to check every connection from the transformer to the house! That will be Monday. If they do that and it all checks out, I have decided to hire an electrical company and have them troubleshoot the house. It may cost me a lot, but quite honestly, it will be worth it to figure this out and it should pay for itself in short order. So I guess that at least I feel like there is a plan! And I have come to realize that I am glad that I am a bit of a pit bull when it comes to my house and my well being! If I don't stand up and fight for myself, who will?!
Brad seems to be adjusting into his new job, which has helped me adapt to my new environment as well. You hate to admit that you are so totally dependent on someone else for your well being, but quite honestly, he is my rock and when he seems to struggle, I struggle. It's getting better day by day.
As for the house...... I got my new cook top put in! It wasn't necessarily what I wanted, but the home warranty covered most of the cost and for now, it's good enough. Not sure I will ever adjust to electric versus gas, but for now, it will do. Hence the song of the day: I have come to realize that as much as I complain and a bitch and moan, I am provided for. I may not always get what I want - but I get what I need!
The pool is limping along until we can get it closed up for the season - sometime in the last week of September. It needs a new filter and maybe a new pump. I pray it just keeps working until then! The pond is doing well but same thing - needs a new pump. The lawn is mostly green but now I have to figure out how the heck you shut down a well for the winter in the coming months. Now that it's nice weather and time to open the windows, I had to order a couple of screen doors and a few screens. No small task when they are Pella doors and windows. Or I guess I should say no small financial task. Pella knew what they were doing making their doors so specialized that you can only get their product. You don't EVEN want to know what I had to pay to have two sliding patio screen doors made! All I can say is that they had better slide like butter and last for a million years! But the fresh air invigorates me, so I pay.........
And then there is football! Jeff's senior season started last weekend! Brad and I have continued our commitment to get to every game we can. The last four seasons (re-shirt freshman through junior year), we were lucky enough to mostly have direct flights, but here, everything is a connection. But we go. And we go with a true appreciation of how lucky our son is to have this experience. He is blessed - as are we. I will try to truly enjoy each and every minute he is on the field in his last season - all the while holding my breath with my real hope being that he just gets through each game unscathed. It was a wonderful distraction from all of the chaos of my life last weekend, and I will try to look at each weekend as my own little getaway!
As for now ......I've actually given myself permission to take a day off here and there! I haven't really done that for the first three months and it's time. There is so much to do, but I have learned that I have to do that as well. Whatever is waiting for me to get done will be there tomorrow. I am trying to be the tortoise rather than the hare! And while there are so many times I feel like what I have done is not enough - there are other times when I realize we have done a lot.
I am going to add some pictures for you ... finally! I have a few more "afters" that I need to take, but you can see at least some of the things that I have been talking about.
But I can't leave you without telling you about today's wacky discovery. In order for the new cook top to be put in, I cleared out all of the cabinets below it. This morning I figured it was time to put it all back, so as I opened up the cabinet doors, I looked inside and realized that there was something odd about the floor of the cabinet below the cook top. It seemed like there was a piece that had been "cut out" and then put back in. Recognizing it as a door to a space below, I pried it up. Imagine my surprise when I saw - about two feet below - dirt! It appears that at least half of the kitchen has this odd crawl space under it. Totally uninsulated, dirt floor, empty space! My guess is that it's going to be awfully cold in that area come winter unless I do something!! I have no idea what the rationale for this is!!!! I am not sure I will ever completely understand this house!!!
So it's off to bed for me. Catching a flight to Indianapolis tomorrow for another game - go Bulldogs!!! Today is also my oldest son, Matt's, birthday. 26 years ago I became a mom. It truly is the best thing that ever happened to me and in the midst of all of the chaos that is my life right now, those are the things that I try to remember.
So it's like the song says ........ you can't always get what you want..........but if you try sometimes .... you might find ..... you get what you need.....
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