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.
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