Lists of Lists and More Life Changes

   

DD1'S new fence with 
grandpup inspecting.

  It's been a crazy work week and lots of news and change on the personal front. Work is just what work will be for a while. I'm trying harder to hold to my schedule, though had to work several hours on Friday when it was supposed to be my day off and participated in a 90 minute meeting. I was glad though in the end as a couple huge missteps were likely avoided because of my speaking up on an issue. We also found a funding issue that was holding up opening our new fiscal year. I guess the personal changes, though hard, are good.

     DS went back to California. He has two jobs, one short duration followed by one several months that are not dependent on the various strikes in his industry. Fingers crossed things will be settled by the time the long project wraps up, and his regular rotation resumes. This came up quick, and was sad for DD2 who wasn't really tracking how quickly he might have to head back home should opportunity present itself. He's been covering his expenses from saved funds and the little side efforts working for his cousin. I'll miss him a lot, and he hopes to come home for Christmas. 

     DD2 has her own stuff though. I may have not mentioned she's going to go to Norway for a few weeks. The first part is staying with family and last five days staying in a young adult youth hostel that has options for organized activities. She'll head back, and here's the big change, will move into an apartment with a friend. Her job starts August 28. 

    It'll be sad of course to have an empty house, but these changes are right, positive, and good for her. She's going to be living right on my route to the office, and only 35 minutes or so from my house. She'll have an easy drive to her job and can more smoothly ease into full adulting, while knowing I and her sister are a close safety net away. Financially it's probably not the best, but  we seem to sometimes feed each others grief, and she needs to be young, not feel tied to me. They applied and got the apartment with no cosigner's needed, so that too is a positive in securing her future options dependent on credit scores. She has to make lists- packing lists for both the trip and her move.

     DD1 finally has her fence. Surprisingly, the yard looks even larger even though enclosed. It's been nice for grandpup to be able to chase balls, get outside whenever he wants, without her having to either go with or tether, and not be worried about him leaving the yard. Yes, he needs more training, but the space will make that easier too. I'm just so happy and proud of her making her place her own oasis.

First watermelon sighting.

First tomato. 

     Her garden is going like crazy. Lots of lessons learned for next year, but for her first attempt, she gets a solid B+! You can see some of the raised beds above. We've enjoyed cooking and eating fresh items like zucchini, snap peas, and cucumbers. I made zucchini fritters one night. So good! She and I are both making meal planning lists to use or store her good stuff. All three of us have looked up recipes. 

These were delicious! 

     My purging, then organizing continues. It will be a job that goes well into fall. Who am I kidding, through next year and still likely not done. But, through the chaos there's tiny glimpses of creating the calm I need. Of course I have lists going on about what needs to be done by when, my budget for the projects, items still to get donated or to the recycling center. Lists are either helping me manage or consuming my life. It took a while for them to pick up the dumpster so I added a few things during the week as I could that weren't salvageable. We've all determined becoming a minimalist, and by that I mean just stuff that we need or truly want and use, is the direction we're aiming for. No secure date on patio redo or bathroom yet, so I keep waiting. 

     I've now been a widow for six months. How is this life mine? I don't know when I'll ever truly feel a sense of normal. I still just feel like I was cheated out of what we'd worked and saved so hard for, easing into our later years, and watching our family grow together. Now, I'm focusing those hard earned efforts to my kids, while trying to simplify my day to day so I'm not a burden as I grow older.