#2899 three things: Dixon update, a rough year, and the walk

First thing...each of these topics could be an entire post in itself. I will attempt to keep them brief and related to each other. 

1. Dixon update. This is the first month since September that I have not traveled to Dixon. That certainly doesn't mean that nothing is happening. Most of the month has been spent waiting on the county to approve the well permit. The permit was issued last week, so we are ready to proceed. The driller needs a tree to be trimmed, but the tree is actually dead and covered with trumpet vines, so it is coming down tomorrow, then the driller will determine a day to begin the drilling process. I'm told it will take about a week. After that comes the pump installation, hook-ups to the existing waterlines, and potability testing. All of that will be done by the pump company. After all that is done and water is running in the house, I would expect the house to be listed on the MLS and hopefully it will be sold fairly quickly. Crossing my fingers. 

2. A rough year. Since my uncle passed away in July last year, I have taken on a lot of the responsibility for my aunt and the property. Sometimes I have felt overwhelmed. I am so thankful for all the help and support from MT, Lizzie, Mama, Rick, and David. I'm also thankful to my doctor for prescribing anti-anxiety medication. I often wonder how I would have managed without it. I'm sure there would have been a lot more tears and more physical ramifications. It wasn't just the monthly trips to Dixon and the worries about Mary, Lee, Bettie, and the property. I had a heavy load at work as well, plus my commitment to volunteering at Red Butte Garden. Of course something had to give, and volunteering got the short shrift last year, but I still had over 100 hours there, which was about half the hours from the previous year. 

Looking back through my journal, I often noted how tired I felt, and how I didn't feel well physically, mentally, or emotionally. I didn't sleep well or long. I ate poorly, relying on take-out often because I was too worn out to prepare a meal at home, or sometimes even get to the grocery store.  Another thing is that my body decided it was time to menopause. As a result of all that, I gained nearly 20 pounds in these 10 months. I fucking hate it. I feel every one of those pounds on my body. The good news is that I finally feel like I'm in a good spot to take better care of myself with healthier food choices and exercise.

3. The Walk. On Pinterest I saw a cute, helpful pin about taking care of yourself. I'm terribly surprised I didn't pin it because usually I do, and now of course I can't find it. Anyway, the first thing on the list was to walk 30 minutes a day. You would think this would be so easy. When I'm on vacation, I think nothing of pulling on some shoes and going for a walk. Why is it that here at home I think I must put on some exercise clothes and have just the right shoes? After overthinking this for a few days, I decided to just go for a walk. Today it happened. It's not that simple though, is it? Not for me.

It was lunchtime and I figured I'd take about 15 or 20 minutes to walk. I decided not to take the dogs because I just wanted to be quick. I headed up the street and crossed the road to walk on a little path between houses. I got to the end of the path, and I'd only been walking for about five minutes, so I turned right and walked through a nice neighborhood.  Pretty soon I felt a bit disoriented. I wasn't lost, but I wasn't exactly sure where I was in relation to my house. I finally came to a place I recognized, a school, and I turned up the street knowing I'd get to the street light and I'd know exactly where I was and how long it would take to get home. Turns out I grossly miscalculated the distance between the school and the stoplight. I'd been walking for about 20 minutes, and I was still a good 10-15 minutes from home, all up a slight-but-steady hill. Oh, and did I mention the pollen count was high and it was humid (for here?) I was a gasping, snotty, watery-eyed mess of a woman those last 10 minutes.

In the end, I was out for nearly 40 minutes and I walked nearly two miles. It was a bit more than I wanted to do right off the bat, but there you have it.  Now I just need to limit my visits to Crumbl and take-out places, and get to bed at a reasonable time. I got this, right?

#2894 hey! it's May!

 

Hello! 

The little drawing is my May zine. Please admire the stack of flower pots that also resemble upside down top hats, as well as the bug-eyed little birdie at the top. I got some Papermate flair markers that I used to color with, so the pots are skritchy. It's a mood.

It has been awhile since I wrote here, and I won't go back into all that activities that were happening during my hiatus. The short version is that I think I made my final monthly trip to Dixon in April. The house is empty except for some pieces of furniture. I may have written about the well problem, and if I didn't, now you know the well had a problem. That is in process of being resolved with the drilling of a new well. I was surprised by how emotional I became as I was preparing to leave the house. It has always been in my life, and will miss it. I love the house and the area. What it mostly comes down to is missing the people who lived there. I can't really see myself living out there, even though I thought about it a lot. Lizzie and I ran around crying and taking photos like nobody's business. MT was really kind about it. He didn't rush us at all and said he understood, and I appreciated his patience. 

I remember that Grandma, Mary, and Dewey used to stand at the gate to greet us when we arrived at the house, and also when we left. I wanted to recreate the photo with Lizzie, since we are the last of the Wann women from this line. I'm totally weeping in this photo; I just couldn't seem to compose myself. I felt a little broken. My throat is tight and my eyes are hot even as I write about this moment. 

At the start of the day, though, we had a good giggle. Lizzie found a hat that was made in Italy and it looked pretty cool. As you can see, it was a sunny day, and we were doing a lot of walking from the house to the dumpster in the back yard, so we both wanted to wear hats for protection from the sun. (Skin cancer sucks, you know.) Lizzie tried the hat on first.

She's adorable, but the hat is weird. I had to give it a try.

I felt like a clown, so I made a dumb face. Them MT came in, and we asked him to try the hat on, too.

He looks cute, but the hat wasn't really good on him either. Who wore this hat? I can't see Uncle Dewey or Uncle Lee in it, but I'm probably wrong. Why is it so tall? And really, what the hell is the matter with me? Is it even possible for me to take a normal photo? (I've pondered this quite a bit, some might even say I have over-thought it, and I have some theories. Maybe a topic for another time, but maybe not.)

We got back from California on the 24th. There was lots of  work-work to be done. The last couple days of that week, and all of last week were long hours and lots of computer time, so I couldn't face sitting here to write during that time. I'm good now, though. so I hope to stick to my Wednesday and Sunday schedule. Two days feels right.

I'm getting into my summer schedule. Red Butte Garden announced its concert line-up. I think I'm scheduled for 10 shows, which feels like a good number. I'll probably pick up another couple here and there; I'm only on the roster for one show in July, so I could do another one or two that month. Today was the first docent day. I was happy to see Wendy and Tracy, the tram drivers to my docent. We chatted and waited for people to come, but it was pretty cold up there, and then it started to rain heavily. We called it off just after 11:00. No one was coming out, and we were getting drenched. I had on my winter raincoat, layers of clothes, and an umbrella, and I was still thoroughly chilled. I stopped at the 'bucks on my way home for a hot beverage to warm up. I also had the heater blasting and the seat warmer on high. BRRR

I've recorded blooms three times so far this year. I went twice in April before the trip to Dixon. I didn't get up there after Dixon because it was raining on the days I planned to go. I did get up there on Friday, and man, it was glorious! I think next week will be spectacular. All the show-stopping, best-smelling plants are this close to bursting into bloom. I'm talking about the wisteria, the lilacs, and the viburnum especially. The apple trees are all blooming, and they look so pretty. Here's a pic of a crabapple tree:

Let's see...what am I looking forward to this week? Tomorrow, I'm going to the concert volunteer orientation at RBG. I don't expect much new information, but it's mandatory, and I get time credit for going. Afterward, my friend Liz and I are going to get a beer and catch up a little. She is also a volunteer, and I enjoy chatting with her. On Saturday, I will attend a creativity workshop on Zoom with Jill the Artist, and Sunday is Mother's Day. If it is nice, I will get some plants and make the deck pretty. No docent gig on Mother's Day. 

Art time!

I've just got a couple of things to show you. I've been so busy, I haven't been able to do much art, and I've really missed it. I showed you the May zine at the beginning of the post. Here is the calendar I made that I have in my bathroom. I call it the wee calendar because it is small, and because it's in the bathroom. LOL

I like the simplicity of this one, and the colors. I made all the little dots with a Q-tip!

This is a collage I made in response to a prompt from Jill the Artist. She provided a list of about a jillion painting names, and we chose a title and made some art. My approach to choosing the title was haphazard: I closed my eyes and scrolled ten times down, three times up, twelve times down, one time up, then down, down, down. I put my finger near the screen and came up with Root Above the Ground, or something like that. I didn't like it, so I scrolled some more with my eyes open until I came to Shattered Sunset. I had this photo of the sunset from our drive to Dixon. This was just outside Battle Mountain, NV. I printed the pic on regular paper, then using some crafty scissors with a jaggedy edge, I started cutting. Then I pasted it on a page in my sketchbook to make a shattered sunset. Kinda cool, right? 

Okay, time to practice some languages and get to bed. Thanks for working your way through my lengthy and rambling post. See ya here Wednesday!

#2889 relaxing weekend

Why do weekends pass so quickly?! How can it be Sunday night already? <<SIGH>> 

On Thursday, I was attacked by a migraine headache. It started out as a wee, low-key pain in my head and very quickly morphed into a vise-grip, eye-watering, nausea-inducing, dizzying hellscape. I was at the office when it came on. There has been some remodeling and painting happening, and I find that the smell of paint is a trigger for me. (Not watercolor paint, though, thankfully!) I came home from work and climbed into bed, pulling the sheets up around my head to block out as much light as I could. I laid (layed, lie??) there for awhile practicing deep breathing, trying to relax myself. Eventually I fell asleep, and when I woke up, the headache and nausea were gone, but I was still a little dizzy and didn't feel totally like myself. That feeling lingered into Friday. That day, I worked at the office until noon, then came home to finish up the day. MT was meeting with our CPA to prepare the 2023 taxes, and I stay home so I can answer questions that might come along that I need to get on my home computer for. After work, I napped some more.

Saturday I felt pretty good. I really wanted to clean the house. It was in bad shape and needed a little care. I only got the main floor done, then I took a nap. When I got up, it was dark and rainy. It was soggy and gray all weekend, and I didn't venture far from home yesterday or today. It felt good to be home. 

The trips to Dixon will be winding down after next month, I think. We will have three more days of estate sale action, then whatever is left will be donated or trashed.  The plan is to stay a total of five days, run the sales for shorter time spans, and use the extra time to load up dumpsters. The whole endeavor has been bittersweet. The most interesting thing about the process has been the reaction of people who come into the house. I can't overstate how much STUFF was in the house. Almost every single person who has come in has said something about needing to pare down their own possessions so their family doesn't have to do what we are doing. I kinda like to think of the house as an inspiration, like don't-let-this-happen-to-you inspiration.

What's coming up this week? I don't have that much going on just yet. Jill the Artist has a workshop on Thursday afternoon that I'd like to attend. It's at 4:00 my time, so hopefully I can leave the office a little early, but if not, Jill records her workshops so I can watch it later. I'd like to go to Trader Joe's this week. It's been awhile and I'm out of some staples like mac & cheese, rice, and tuna. Actually, I made a list today and it is big. Sunday is Easter. It isn't a big event at our house. If the weather is nice, I'd like to go for a quick bike ride. The forecast looks like it might be soggy all week, though. Oh yeah, and it's time for my seasonal clothing swap. Sweater weather is over! I'll keep a few lighter weight sweaters out for days like today, but the heavy sweaters get to go in storage for a few months. YAY!

To finish off the weekend, here is some art I made this week. Jill's prompt was to use black and white, and make something with color as the main thing. I'm not sure I really followed the instructions, but I had a lot of thoughts, so I made four things:

It was fun. I've been really into zen-type doodles lately, like the one in the lower right-hand corner. I'll pick a few to show you next time. I have them in a separate little sketch book. 

Okay, that's it! Have a good week. Be safe out there!

xoxo

#2884 last week's trip to Dixon

I have been inconsistent about writing here. I miss doing it, but things get busy and something's gotta give, and it is often this space. Rest assured, my energy and attention is channeled into other creative endeavors. I have been writing a lot in my journal, and it is giving me a lot of joy. Adding little doodles, stickers, photos, and quotes in the journal has lit me up and given me a new layer of love for my favorite book. 

Side note: as I've been going through my family estate in Dixon, it has caused me to ponder my own stuff at home. Although no where near the levels of "stuff" that exist in Dixon, we have accumulated a lot of things in the 20 plus years we have lived in this house. I have at least a dozen journals and planners that I love and look through occasionally. I wonder about what will be done with them when I am gone. Will T look through them and think they are all a waste of time? Lizzie told me that I need to specify what I'd like done with them when I'm gone. I'm pondering that thought. In the meantime, the journals and planners give me such joy right now, and isn't that what life is about, finding joy right now?

The last time I wrote here was 18 February. I'm not going back to recount everything that has happened, but I want to share a few photos of last weekend's trip to Dixon. It was probably the best trip there as far as progress and hope that I've had. Plus, we managed to squeeze in some fun, too. The weather was fantastic, also. Some photos:

This ussie was taken at a rest stop on the west side of Donner Pass. We love the tall pine trees there. It smells so fresh and it is a good place to take a little break. The bathrooms are nice too.

We are getting to see all of the seasons in Northern California. In January, these almond trees were bare. In February, the trees are blooming. The scent in the air is sweet. We saw beekeepers delivering hives to the orchards, and when I hopped out of the truck to take a photo, I could hear the pollinators happily buzzing around. 

We had peacocks at the house in Dixon last weekend! I saw three of them. They live next door at Tommie's house, but they apparently roam around. It's the first time I've seen them out our place. Probably they feel free to roam there since there aren't any cats around anymore, maybe.  They are beautiful birds that make a gods-awful noise.

I mentioned that we managed to squeeze some fun into the weekend. These ussies were taken on Saturday night in celebration of the success of our impromptu estate sale. This first pic is taken at The Pip, a gorgeous little wine bar in downtown Dixon. I wish we ventured in there before this visit! It is so cute and cozy. The owner seems like a lovely person, too. MT and I had a couple of glasses of wine, Lizzie had a glass of bubbly, and we shared a delicious appetizer of baked whipped feta. It was so good. I'm looking forward to going back there next month. (You can see I have a wine blush to my cheeks.)

Our favorite place to eat in Dixon is Dawson's. It is also in downtown Dixon, right across the street from The Pip. We go there for dinner every time we are in town. The food is good, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the staff is friendly. The server who photobombed this pic is fun and cheerful. She told us she remembered us from a previous visit and poured each of us a glass of wine on the house. I kind of adore Dixon, especially that night, when I was feeling all the good feelings. (heehee)

I was going to post some art pics that I've done, but I think I'll save that one for Wednesday. There are several  I'd like to show you. Here is a little preview. It's a card I made for the birthday of one of my favorite co-workers.

I like the simple graphic style. It's based on a mid-century modern poster I saw on Pinterest, and I wanted to give it my own spin. I did it with my watercolor markers. I especially like the shadowing on the stem of the glass. I say this all the time, but I cannot believe how much joy and pleasure I get out of drawing and painting. 

...making a note in my planner right now to post art pics on Wednesday!

xoxo