26 October, 2020 - I Got Lots Done & Things

 Dear, Mom -

I was so fortunate to talk to an awesome lady today. She has been such a big and important part of my life for as long as I can remember. She’s taught me many valuable life lessons and wowed me with her talent over the years. I have to be the luckiest person ever to have somebody this amazing in my life! You know who that lady is?! It’s YOU! My Mom. You really had a lot to tell me today and it was great to hear your plans and stories.

Here we are laughing at who knows what? I’m all bundled up because I was sitting outside talking to you. 

It was chilly out there, but I got a few rays of sunshine on my legs and had the lap blanket on my legs that you had knitted for Aunt Jo a few years back.

Today, I had a Monday off. It’s a rarity anymore, which I should be thankful for. I sorted out my closet and got rid of 4 big boxed of ‘stuff’ and a few smaller boxes. I have enough to take to the Goodwill in the next few days. Enough to fill up the back of my car and then some. I also need to run down to an electronics recycling place to drop off some electrical devices that no longer work. The iron being one of them. I went to iron my shirts yesterday and the iron started smoking. I figured it was not wise to plug it in anymore, but I have no way to iron my clothes. I will be looking for a new iron, I suppose.        

I am glad to have my closet organized again. Now I can actually walk into the closet and grab things if necessary. Before I had to step on or over things. I decided that if that is the way my closet looks then I have way too much stuff. I am going to keep whittling down all the extra things I rarely or never use until I don’t have a terrible amount of material goods left. I just don’t feel like being burdened by things anymore. I have good memories from some of them and others are things I’ve just kept since high school. Those things I tend to take out and look at only when I am cleaning up. So, I will peruse things once every couple of years then put it back. I don’t really need to do that anymore. I only want the memories. Pictures I will keep because they are easy enough to store. Notebooks from high school with things I wrote aren’t necessary. I can always clip something out if I really feel I need to keep it, but I also don’t want a big file of things I felt I needed to keep. It’s a process and one I will get through.

Tonight, I turned on my heating blanket an hour before climbing into bed. It is so chilly in this house it is ridiculous. I think I will get a quote from a spray foam insulation company to see how much it would cost to do the underside of the house. We cannot have regular insulation because the critters love it and tear it to pieces making beds out of it. If it costs a couple of thousand dollars, I feel I will need to go ahead and have it done so we don’t have to be so cold. You see, every time we heat the living room, the thermostat thinks the entire house is the same temperature. It is not. Not by a long shot. The bathroom feels like it is the arctic tundra and the kitchen is just a step warmer than that. Argh. We’ll see what happens. I’d rather spend the money on a Subaru Crosstrek so I can go camping more often, but the house needs the upkeep.

I was able to get a few pictures this morning of some flowers. I had my phone is this carrier that I sometimes wear around my neck when I don’t have a convenient pocket. This way I can listen to my radio shows as I walk Elsa the dog. It is hard to push the functions on the screen, so sometimes I have to forego getting a picture because it is too hard to find the camera option when it is in the plastic sleeve around my neck. Also, it is getting harder and harder to find nice flowers to photograph. I’ll keep finding what I can, though. Promise!

Roses that are still hanging on despite the cold.

Mexican Orange blossoms

Miniature Tea Roses

If I have time tomorrow, I will take my boxes to the Goodwill in Scappoose. I might also go in for a quick minute to see if there is an iron I can buy for cheap that will at least put a crease in my clothes where need be. I don’t like to go into stores with the general public much, but the Scappoose Goodwill is good about having lots of space between shoppers. Plus, I know what I am looking for so it will be in and out, lickety split!

I love you tons, Mom. It was really nice to see you today. I want so much to be able to see in person. It makes me a bit sad, but I know I will cheer up when I hear your voice again. We will keep hanging in there until the day comes that we can sit together and be a mom and her daughter in again. Of course we are now, too, but I mean to at least be in the same space without dividers and disguises. 

Have a fantastic day! And give Mary a hard for me if you see her! Hahahaha.

❤️✨🌈🌹All My Love, Your Daughter, —-Sally Ann🌹🌈✨❤️